Sea Glass & Gold
by Rosalia Cullen
Summary: Raenyx is different. She's been on the streets since she was ten, she's searching for something, but can't find it. She thinks she knows who she is, what she is, but she is wrong. Very wrong. She meets someone, and her life is turned upside down... Or, at least, that's how she sees it. Maybe, just maybe, its being turned right side up? Experiance new things, like love, with her.
1. Prolouge

Let's start from the beginning. I don't remember much of when I was little, all of it's a blur. When I try to ask people where I am, they usually shriek and call the police. And if they don't, that's when things really get bad. If I tangle with the wrong 'people', then I end up running for my life. I don't understand why they do this. I just want some answers. Who am I? Why has the world changed so much since I first came here? Why do I have a seashell necklace that can change into a sword? Why do I have these white wings? Why do I have all of these supernatural powers? The important question is where's my family?

These questions will all be answered in my story, the one I'm telling you right now. It's a long story so you might as well get comfortable. This story isn't going to be a happy perfect fairytale, but its not a depressing and sorrowful myth either. It's _my_ story. You'll be here for a while as I tell you how I became a savior, how if ound all the things i lost, and some i didn't even know I had, and help others to do that as well. I may not look like a saviour, since I'm just a scrawny fourteen year old, but appearances aren't always what they seem like. And people change. These two lessons are going to be very important along the way of this story.

I'm Raenyx Redbird and this is my story.


	2. Dont You Have Ears?

A/N : This story has been edited by my amazing beta booknerd95

Once again I found myself running for my life. At least this time it wasn't from crazy women in bath towels screeching 'Get out of my pool freak!'. This time it was a monster, a giant, human looking monster with only one eye and a terrible sense of hygiene. Apparently the Cyclops thought I was 'meals on wings' and decided to chase me down grimy streets. I hate it when this happens.

I had no idea what city I was in at the time. It was a big; let me tell you that, with lots of mortals and monsters crawling around. Even at nighttime the city was still full of life. It still made me jittery to be around so many people. Not wanting to draw even more attention to myself, I ran into this giant forest that seemed to be in the middle of the city.

With the trees for cover, I had an easier time evading the Cyclops. Of course with only one eye, it didn't see all that well and ran into a few trees while chasing me. I continued to run, dodging trees. I looked back over my shoulder, just in case, but as usual that turned out to be a bad mistake. WHAM! I hit a tree and fell right onto my back. Now, falling back onto my wings hurts like nothing else. I usually try to watch where I'm going, but when you're running in the dark, you don't necessarily watch out for things. Things like trees in your path.

I groaned and rolled onto my stomach, blowing locks of black and gold out of my eyes. The Cyclops came upon me and stared down at me, giving me a hungry look while licking his lips. I shuddered in disgust. Before I could even light one of my hands on fire, the Cyclops exploded into a cloud of yellow dust in which I was covered in it.

"What the heck?" I yelled and stood up to dust myself off. Once the dust was cleared off, I saw who had stabbed the Cyclops. It was a teen probably only a few years older than myself with shaggy, black hair and sea green eyes.

"Calm down," he said and brought a pen cap to the tip of his sword. It shrunk back down into a simple ballpoint pen. He then gave me a trouble maker smile that was a little to much like mine to put me at ease. "Are you Raenyx?"

"Huh?" I was so startled at first. Everything was happening so quickly. What was this kid doing here?

"Your name?" he asked again. Pushy. And people call _me _rude!

"Oh, Raenyx Redbird. You?" I say before I realize it. I mentally smack myself for telling some stranger my name.

He smiled. "Percy Jackson. I need you to come with me. We've been looking for you all over." My heart beats faster at his words. People were looking for me? But I keep my steely mask on, not willing to let it break. I study him, try to see into his mind, but like always there's a wall. At least what I can see of his aura is good. I'll go along. He turned and stepped out to the path running through the park. I followed, feeling a little big curious.

"Who's been looking for me?" I asked and stepped out onto the path with him. I see him study my stance, probably from experience. Im in a flight or fight stance, as I like to call it. Ready to run away or fight at a moments notice. Light on my feet, leaning slightly forward, but feet spread in a strong stance. He's in a much more casual, _'I've got this handled' _stance. I smirk at him and think '_you don't know who your messing with.'_

"The gods," he answered simply. Sounding nonchalant, like it was as simple as stating the date.

"The who?" I say before I can stop myself. For all that I try I always seem to blurt things out. I make a note to work on that.

He rolled his eyes. "Don't you have ears? I said the gods as in the Greek Gods of Olympus." Like Aphrodite and Poseidon? I try my best not to laugh, despite his slight insult. I've dealt with the nutters before, this will be okay. I think and start loosen up a bit. But a quick glance at his sword makes me think otherwise.

I made a quiet 'oh', trying to seem surprised. "Do they know why I have wings?" I say with a condescendingly sweet smile.

He faced me and raised an eyebrow and a steely face. "You don't remember?"

"Remember what?" I know I shouldn't be, but I'm interested.

"Your past. Don't you remember anything?" Hmm. Most nutters didn't ask questions like this.

I thought back to what remained of my past, _before_ the streets. I didn't remember much. A few snippets really. One was of an exploding building, another short one of two kids, one older than me and the other the same age as me. They both had olive skin and black hair, brother and sister. We almost could pass for siblings, but their were too many differences. Then there was a last one of the three of us together at what looked like a hotel/casino.

"Not much," I admitted. He's a nutter, who would believe him? "I remember a building exploding, two kids with olive skin and black hair, and a hotel casino type of thing. The kids' names were… were… Bianca and Nico! That's it! I remember them!" I feel my self starting to smile, and quickly stop that. _Bianca, and Nico! _Before I'd been grasping at straws, hardly remembering anything, just vague ideas, but, something made me remember. I don't know what, but I don't care! I finally remember them! I remember everything, their favorite colours, their voices, the times we watched TV together, Bianca teaching us English! Everything! _They_ were the things, or people rather, that I have been looking for all these years! I feel myself starting to tear up, but quickly stop that.

"Bianca and Nico di Angelo?" Percy asked. "You know them?"

I nodded. "I do. Their my brother and sister!" I say allowing my self to smile, just once! He starts to smile a bit too, and then something seems to sink in and he behaves oddly.

He looked shaky for a bit, and seemed to go pale. He swallowed and took a few seconds getting himself together, probably trying to seem less crazy.

"We should get going. With a demigod as powerful as you, who knows what type of creatures we'll attract." He sounded much more sure of himself and put together. Maybe he wasn't a nutter..? He whistled sharply. Followed by the whistle came the flapping of great wings. A pure black horse landed on the path gently and trotted up to Percy. Wait a minute. It wasn't a horse. This thing had wings. What were these animals called again? Pegasus. That was it. Okay. Deep breaths. That's not the craziest things, I mean I have wings, right?

"Raenyx, meet Blackjack," Percy said.

Blackjack, the Pegasus, walked over to me and dipped his head to the ground. _Pleased to meet you._

Okay! Yep, that's it. _I'm _the nutter.

Percy was just smiling, seeing my confusion. "Yeah, should've mentioned that children of Poseidon can speak to horses in their minds," he said. "Sorry." He speaks with experience. Does he believe himself to be a child of Poseidon? Oh wait, I heard the voice too... This must be a dream. In dreams my mind is slurry and can't make connections, and I have that feeling that I'm missing something.

Percy got onto Blackjack's back and helped me up as well.

Yes Raenyx, go along with the crazy teen who you've never met before. Sit a top of a winged horse.

That sarcastic little voice in my head said.

"Where are we going?" I asked, not really knowing how I had got my self in this situation.

"Mount Olympus," he said. "You've got an audience with some of the Olympians."

Just a dream, just a dream, just a dream, I repeat. But when the horse kicks off and we fly into the air, I'm suddenly aware that this is very real.

_Even better!_

I'm riding a winged horse with a mentally insane teenager I've only just met, _and _were going to see the mythical Olympians! _And it's not a dream!_


	3. Introductions and Explanations

Okay, so this was definitely the weirdest day of my life. And I don't say this lightly, I have wings and have encountered many 'mythical' creatures who should not exist. But to be honest, I don't really know _why_ this was so shocking to me. _Because_ of my less than normal experiences, I should have seen this coming. I mean, at least I don't feel like a complete freak. I've met some pretty interesting people in my fourteen years, and while their all unique in their own ways, none have really been quite the same as me. Maybe this will explain some things…?

I shake my head and focus on the passing scenery. On top of a very tall building was like a floating city. It was so bright and beautiful and we haven't even reached it yet.

"There it is," Percy said. "Welcome to Mount Olympus."

I don't know what to think of this guy. He seems nice enough, but if I've learned anything these past 4 years, its that its always the people who _seem _the nicest or most beautiful that lead to trouble.

Blackjack landed and let us off before he flew off. I was a bit sad to see him go. And I swear as soon as I thought that, he turned his head and winked. _I'm defiantly going crazy, _I think before Turning to Percy. He led me up the path to where he said the throne room of the gods was. "But we're not going to the throne room today," he added. "Not all the gods need to talk to you. Only the ones who blessed you do. You'll be in a side room next to the throne room. It'll be just you and them so it's okay to be a little nervous." I nodded.

He led me to the side room. I had to act like I was calm and cool with everything, but wow! Everything was so large, detailed and gorgeous. I could have literally spent an entire life time marveling at the beauty of Olympus. But I made sure my face was indifferent. We passed by twelve, large thrones each with their own individuality. He knocked on the side room door. The door opened and he motioned me to go in.

"Aren't you coming?" I asked. Some how, I felt like I would be safer with him.

He shook his head and replied, "It's not my place. Blackjack and I will be hanging around for a while so come and look for us when you're done." He gave a smile that I think was supposed to be helpful, but it was more of a trouble maker smirk. Again.

I nodded as I stepped through the doorway and he closed the door behind me. In the room were several comfy looking chairs and couches. Still, gorgeous and somehow managing to look designer while just being furniture. Seated on those gorgeous chairs and couches were eight of what might be the most powerful beings in the world. Oh who am I kidding? I should just accept that they _are _Greek gods, and I may very well be one of their children. It's definitely not as scary as it should be. _Heh, not scary at all, _I thought with a wry smirk. These peo-_gods, _are powerful. The best option is too be confident and, at the very least, make them think I'm powerful too. I haven't gotten enough of a feel of them yet to be sure if they would believe in it though. I turned my face upwards slightly, and made it seem as if everything in the room was beneath me and my powerful being. When in actuality Im awed and my powers were weak. I could tell, barely, that these people and I were family.

There were three women and five men, all very imposing and beautiful. They all looked at me expectantly. _Yep, still quite unsettling, _I mused internally, a haughty smirk still present. Though the youngest, who appeared to be an older teen with sky blue eyes and sandy blonde hair, did offer me a dazzling grin. It was quite impressive.

"Welcome, Raenyx Redbird," Blondie said. "I'm Apollo, god of the sun, medicine, poetry, prophecy and music."

Sneer. "Hello, _Apollo." _I say in my most charming voice. I've noticed that if I tried hard enough, and gave a smoldering enough look, I could sometimes make people do what I want. He looked slightly affected, but I assumed my powers didn't affect gods.

A woman that was absolutely drop dead gorgeous spoke next. I instantly felt jealous, but I appraised her as if I'd seen better. I can't really describe to you what she kept changing appearance. First of the olive skinned girl, Bianca, then of someone who bore a great resemblance to the former, and a women I couldn't place. And sometimes she just looked like random, beautiful celebrities. That wasn't weird at all. "I am Aphrodite, darling," she said in a beautiful, honey like voice. Her deep red lips curved up to form a smile. "Goddess of love and beauty. Let me introduced everyone here before we get onto the real reason of why we are all here." Humph. She was not even a bit intimidated. But, I suppose that's to be expected, as she was quite intimidating pretty herself.

She pointed to a man wearing a pinstriped suit. He had black hair and these amazing electric blue eyes. "That is Zeus, King of all immortals as well as god of the sky." Zeus nodded in a greeting. Boy, I wouldn't count him as the life of the party. Normally I would have laughed at that thought, but I still had to keep up my pretence. I nodded respectfully at him, he was the king after all. He smirked even more proudly than I did.

"Next to him is Queen Hera, goddess of marriage and family as well as Zeus' wife." Hera smiled at me and gave off this very motherly aura. I liked her already. I inclined my head once more.

Aphrodite moved on and pointed to the last woman in the room. She sat on the chair, back straight and knees crossed over each other. Her long, blonde hair was pulled back from her face, revealing a pair of stormy grey eyes. "That is Athena, goddess of wisdom and battle strategy." Athena regarded me with her grey eyes, like she knew exactly what I was up to. With an internal sigh, I let go of my pretence. What's the point in playing if no ones scared, and the others know what your doing? I let my face fall into what I was feeling. Slightly annoyed, but still very interested. I saw Athena lift the corner of her mouth in a slight smile, before she nodded to me, and I her. I even tried to smile a little to lighten up the mood around here. It didn't work. Obviously this wasn't a very smiling type of group.

"Beside me here, is Hephaestus," Aphrodite said. "God of forges and fire." Hephaestus was not what I would call handsome, but don't tell him that I said that. It's just that he didn't seem to fit in with all of the other blinding gods and goddesses. A leg that was in a metal brace and a face that seemed to have been clobbered by something, wasn't exactly picture perfect. His dark, scruffy beard, along with his dark eyes, imposing and bashed body made him look a little horrifying.

She introduced one of the last two people in the room. One was dressed very casual like, his Hawaiian shirt and cargo shorts made him look like a typical tourist. He had black hair and sea green eyes like both Percy and me. He also shared our tan skin, though mine was more of a natural caramel colours, not one you would get from days at the beach like Percy and Poseidon's. This made me wary of him, so turned my attention to the second man really quick, trying to figure out all the thoughts whizzing around in my head. The second man was darker looking than all the rest, though not in a typical way. He wasn't that creepy, he just seemed angst, butter and full of revenge. Being shrouded in a black cloak made him seem vaguely deadly. He had black hair and deep, cold, black eyes which only made his pale skin stick out even more. I had a feeling he was supposed to be sinister and threatening, not even the other gods would be near him, but I felt almost… _safe _and _calm _seeing him, like he was familiar. I couldn't remember the last time I had felt this way.

I quickly stepped back and looked at both the gods for a second. The one in the Hawaiian shirt was definitely him, my father, I knew that. There are similarities I'd be blind to deny. And the man shrouded in black… There was something special about him, even though I knew the other was my father, I felt like he was. Though, that couldn't be. Two fathers? No, and what about all these other people. Surely they couldn't _all _be my parents…. Right?

But, really, I should know by now. When your Raenyx Redbird the expected is a myth, the myths are real, and nothing ever goes as it should. _Just look around,_ the voice of, what most think is reason, says. And as I see the gods, and feel my wings jutting out, I just sit back and wait. Maybe we'll be one big happy family?

Even I had to snort at that!

I think with the smallest of smiles as I wait for Aphrodite to introduce me to the other two men_. Im going to be her for a while._


	4. Visions, Gift, Curses, and Prophecies

Visions, Gifts, Curses and Prophecies

***Raenyx's P.O.V***

Aphrodite finally explained the last two gods to me. The man in the Hawaiian shirt was named Poseidon, god of water, horses and earthquakes. This explained Percy's comment about the children of Poseidon. I swear I saw Athena smirk at this thought. The man in black was Hades, god of the dead and King of the Underworld. That was expected, I don't think cupid radiated evil and darkness. _There! I know that was a smirk, _I think.

"I sense that you have many questions for us, Raenyx," Athena said calmly. I nodded vigorously. "Well then, come and sit, child. We will be here for a long time."

Hesitantly, I stepped forward and took the last remaining chair, which was distinctly less lavish then all the others. As I sat down, I felt a little queasy. What was so important about me?

"Ask away, Raenyx," Athena said.

I nodded and decided to get to the core of the matter. "Why am I here?"

Poseidon answered that question. "Because it's about time we tell you what we did. See in the past, during World War II the eight of us came together to converse about your fate." He looked to the others and nodded, before I could say anything. Zeus raised his hand and a servant, who I _promise _had green skin and pointed ears, stepped forward. She placed a bowl of water on the table before us.

"Look into the water, Raenyx," Zeus commanded. "It will show you a part of your past." _Since you asked so nicely, _I quip before I got off my chair and onto my knees before the bowl and looked into it. The image began to shimmer, which sort of freaked me out. Then it became clear. It felt like I was part of the memory that it was playing, like I was actually back in time.

It was far into the past. I had learned while on the run that I was in the years of the early 2000s, not the 1930s like I thought I should be in. The cars were different for one thing, along with how the people dressed, and all the mysterious gadgets they had now. I never questioned it, choosing to shrug and go along without a word. I focus on the scene Im witnessing, trying to remember every detail.

The eight gods I was with in the room were in the memory as well, but even they were dressed differently. They had the typical upper class outfits from the 30's. They waited in a room, Poseidon paced back and forth, restlessly. While the others occupied wooden chairs. Hades was apart from them, standing silently in the corner, looking a little like the Grim Reaper.

Another woman entered the picture. In her arms was a bundle of blankets, exposing a pink and young face of a very, very, very young baby, probably only minutes old. The baby squealed and squirmed in the blanket.

"Congratulations, the baby's doing wonderfully," the woman said. Clearly she was a nurse or some type of midwife, and she didn't appear to be a goddess. Although it should've been a momentous event with the birth of a new child, the midwife did not smile. There was blood on her apron and she looked very sad. "It's a girl." She handed Poseidon the blanket.

"And Kuccini?" he asked, looking torn between being worried at the women's state, and joyous at the birth of his daughter.

The midwife shook her head, looking sad and helpless. "I did everything I could to save her," she answered. "The birth was too hard on her. I could only save one."

Poseidon looked down at the squirming child in his arms, the twinkle in his eyes was no longer there. "Thank you, miss," He said without taking his eyes off the child. "You are dismissed. I can take care of everything else."

"I am sorry for your loss. But she did say something, before she… passed. She spoke in a language I don't know but my assistant understands it" she said and a young women stepped in. She was really pretty, long raven hair and tan skin and dark eyes.

"She was speaking a combination of French and a little Cherokee. I understand both, because Im originally from France and I was raised on a Cherokee reservation. She said "Dites-lui que je l'aime, ma belle petite fille. Dites-lui de prendre u-we-tsi a-ge-hu-tsa à mon oh do Tom. Dites-lui que je l'aime." Im not perfect, but what I got was 'Tell her I love her, my beautiful baby girl. Tell him to take her to my brother Tom. Tell him I love him.' I think she loved you and her child very much." She inclines her head, showing respect, before leaving. She the Olympians standing shocked in the room. Hades stepped into the room where Kuccini, the late lover of Poseidon, rested peacefully. He dealt with the body and stepped back out into the room so that they could talk about the fate of the child. Poseidon was holding the baby looking so sad, it hurt to look at him. But he also seemed confused.

"I have never heard of her having a brother. She never did like to talk about her family. She must have been a bit delusional." He says frowning, before looking down at the, bébé, I mean baby. I didn't know I could speak French! But my attention is drawn back when Poseidon looks at her with love, and not a bit of bitterness, which surprises me.

"Where are the others?" Athena asked, trying not to seem disturbed by the scene that had just unfolded before her. "What of Demeter, Dionysus, Ares, Hermes and Artemis?"

Poseidon turned to them, clutching the child closely. "They did not wish to partake in this. Besides, the Fates said that we didn't have need of all of us blessing my child. Only a handful." His voice was dead.

"And why is Hades here?" Zeus asked and sent a spiteful glare at his brother who stood in the dark corner once again.

"The Fates specified gods not just the Olympians," Hades said and returned the glare.

"Can we move on, brothers?" Poseidon asked, seeming not to have it in him to deal with them. "We do not have much time. We must bless the child and give her a safe place to live."

"And curse the child," Apollo added. "The Fates clearly said that the child must have a blessing and a curse from each god that decides to bless her. That way the child is balanced and cannot overthrow us in the future." The gods looked shocked at his serious tone, well except Poseidon. He just looked even more broken.

The other gods and goddesses nodded. They knew what they had to do. Poseidon started them off and looked down at the child as she began to settle down. The child was bathed in a sea green glow. "Your gift will be the standard powers of that of any of my children, breathing underwater and controlling it as well as being able to converse with horses and all like animals, but unlike most, you'll be able to freeze water and control precipitation. (I was stunned at this. Those were mighty powers.) The curse is that on the full the moon she will start to show signs of the darker aspect of the sea. Her eyes will turn dark brown, her canines will sharpen and she will have the qualities of a siren. Seductive, and a voice that draws everyone in. She will also become dangerously violent if angered. She will have the strongest urge to give into all desires, and go into the sea. But if she does, she won't be able to come out for days."(That's a mighty curse.)He says in a serious voice, his eyes darkening in a fearful way. Everyone around him, even Athena, Zeus and Hades, have gasped and look stunned. He didn't even seem to realize the severity of the curse until the sea green glow had died and the child was passed to Apollo. When he did, he just looked all the more depressed.

Apollo smiled warmly at the child. "My gift is that you will be able to see the future and past and you will be able to control people by your singing. I can sense that you already had pretty talented lungs, but now I'll just add on. The better you sing, the more control you'll have. (It appeared that he was making up for the curse with the powers.) Your curse will be that when you have the visions of future and past, you will experience immense pain. If you experience too many visions too quickly, you will lose the ability to tell the difference between what is real and what isn't. The curse for singing is that if you focus on your singing power too much, it could lead to someone becoming permanently dazed." (Maybe not.) The child began to give off a warm golden glow like that of the sun, which died as she was passed to Athena.

"I give you the power to control minds as well as have incredible knowledge. This means you will be able to see memories read minds, to change and warp their thoughts and memories. The curse to that is if you 'stay' in their minds too long or see something that you were never meant to see, you could die. Or at the very least be injured so severely you will beg for death." The child gave of a slight silver glow that disappeared quickly.

She passed the child to Aphrodite, who also smiled at it warmly. "You, my dear child, will be blessed with the powers to sense love and pregnancy, as all of my children, and see peoples auras. You will also be very beautiful, as all my children are, and be able to charm speak, as my most powerful children are. Your curse is that you will always wonder if people like you for you, or looks. That doesn't exactly sound equal. You'll have to deal with bitterness and resentment from others, jealousy. Oh! And since I can tell your one of my favorites, I'm going to have some fun with your love life." She says the last part with an excited smile, as the child is bathed in a beautiful pink glow that makes me feel happy and warm, even though Im not really there.

The child was given to Hera, who held her closely (mother's instinct). "Little one, I give you the power to control the bonds between people as well that you will be naturally maternal. (She grins with motherly love.) The curse to controlling the bonds will lead to a fatal mistake. The curse to being naturally maternal is that you will be immensely drawn to help _any _child in need. If the enemy knows of this, they could capture you and you would be helpless to stop it." As she finishes she looks put out at having to give the child a curse. The child is bathed in a silver glow with streaks of blue, even more stunning than the one before.

Zeus took the child from his wife and held it, rather awkwardly. He looked down on it and blessed her. "I give you wings. The curse is that you will never be accepted by mortals. You will never have a normal life." He says in a clipped voice. The child was bathed in an electric blue before it was handed off to Hephaestus.

The child looked so small now when she rested in the god's giant hands. So delicate and ethereal. "I gave you the power to control and create fire," he said deeply. "The curse is that it could backfire on you. You could self-combust and you might kill people around you if they are standing too close." (I had a feeling that she wasn't the only child to be given this gift.) Finally the child was given to Hades, the last god to gift the young child.

As if sensing death, the child began to squirm. Hades made it real quick. "I give you the gift of controlling the dead as well as being able to control the shadows," he said. The child squealed, and reached towards his face, seeming to forget that he was death. "The curse is that you will be the Queen of the dead. That means the other immortals will avoid you by the plague. You won't be fully accepted by them either." The child was bathed in one last glow, a dark and harsh glow that was very different from the bright and warm glows the child experienced with the others, but none the less it radiated power and beauty. _Dark _beauty.

Hades gave Poseidon his daughter back. "There," Poseidon said. "That part is taken care of. Now we must decide where the child shall be placed."

"Olympus of course," Zeus said, as though it should be obvious. "The child must learn how to control her powers."

"I think not," Poseidon and Hades said together.

"You will turn my daughter against me," Poseidon said. "And what gives you the right to decide where she ends up?"

"It is the safest place," Zeus argued, but he didn't deny the accusations.

"And when you have this young girl wrapped around your finger and obedient to every whim, you will send her to spy on us, will you not?" Hades accused. "You will use her against us."

"Stop this bickering at once," Hera hissed. "We will send the child to a mortal family that we all trust. It is the only solution." And so they began to discuss which family the child would be placed with. Aphrodite brought up the matter of Kuccini's brother, but Poseidon was adamant that she had no brother, so they left it at that. They talked for a long time and came up with a solution, Maria di Angelo.

Maria was a kind woman with two young children herself. One was only a month older than Poseidon's child and the other was two years older than them both.

"Maria it is," Poseidon said and pulled something out of his pocket. It was a necklace that had a plain, gold chain. Resting on the chain delicately was a golden charm in the shape of a seashell, hardly larger than my thumb nail. (That was my necklace. My exact same necklace that could transform into a sword. With a gasp I finally realized that child was me!)

Poseidon, in the image, slipped the necklace into the bundle of blankets. He handed the child off to Hades.

The image in the bowl disappeared, going back to its original form of clear water.

"That was me?" I asked and sat back on the chair. "When was that?"

"In the 1930s," Poseidon answered. "Your mother, Kuccini died while giving birth to you. It was spoken in a prophecy that you were to save Olympus some time in your life. Apollo?"

Apollo nodded, taking his cue. "This was the prophecy given to us by the Oracle.

_The daughter of the gods has made a decision._

_ That shall lead to heart break, and victory,_

_ Yet demolition._

_ Lies, love, family, enemies,_

_ Shall all be found_

_ As soon as the sea is crowned._

_ The heroes will be_

_ Rewarded generously."_

"And that's about me?" I asked. "I get the daughter of sea part, but what does everything else mean?"

The gods didn't answer. The silence felt _so _uncomfortable.

"Aren't you guys going to tell me?" I asked.

Athena said, "You'll find out in time. But until then I still sense you have questions to ask us."

nodded. I had tons of questions to ask them. Which one should I ask first?

"Why can't I remember any of this, my life I mean?" I asked. "It's all just one big blur. Until one day when I remember being at a hotel with my brother Nico and sister Bianca." I remember everything about them, now. Before I had been pushing it back so much that I'd begun to forget. But somewhere when Percy came to get me and now, I've begun to let the memories flow. I've spent 4 years looking for them, but I had forgotten what I was looking for. Just searching… More lost than anything. Maybe now, maybe, I could… Percy seemed to know them! This means their okay. Right?

"Your mind was washed clean in the River Lethe," Hades answered, interrupting my thoughts. "It was to protect you from the truth of a horrible event."

"What horrible event?" I questioned. I've experienced many 'horrible' events, but I remember them all. Or at least I _think _I do.

The gods all looked to Zeus for an explanation. He sighed and gestured me to look in the bowl once more. I knelt down before the bowl and looked into it. The clear water began to project an image.

It was in a hotel lobby. Three young children were playing tag, running around and enjoying themselves. One was about 6 and the other two were somewhere around 4. The five year old was a girl with long, shining black hair, tan skin and dark eyes, she was sitting trying to read a children's book, with a bright smile. The boy had shaggy black hair, slightly curly, tan skin, wide hazel eyes and an excited grin as he tagged the next girl. She had black/golden hair, caramel skin, sea coloured eyes and wings jutting out of her back. She scowled and chased after him, while the older girl laughed and went back to trying to read. Bianca, Nico and me! (I felt a bit of warmth flood my stomach, against my will.) A beautiful woman and an oily looking man sat on a couch together, talking. They were holding hands and looked deeply in love, so much I felt like I was intruding looking at them. The women had long curly, cinnamon coloured hair, deeply tanned skin, a beautiful smile and gorgeous chocolate brown eyes. She looked at her children, including me, with all the love in the world, glowing with a motherly aura! The only thing that was even remotely a blemish was the 5 long, thin scars, fading on her left arm. _I know where that had come from_, I think with a grimace.) But, despite all the beauty and happiness of this vision, I had a sneaking suspicion that this image had to do with the exploding building memory that I still had. This image wasn't going to end well.


	5. Remembering & Expectations

Maria di Angelo and Hades talked for a while as the three children continued to play. The feeling that the image portrayed spelt trouble. Before I could blink, the hotel exploded. Hades yelled and formed a box of pure energy that protected the three children. They survive but Maria didn't. Once the dust and debris settled, Maria's broken form laid on the ground.

The image ended. It was a short one but it was all that I needed to see. Someone who had the power to destroy a building within the blink of an eye was sitting across from me. I felt like throwing up...I had never remembered Maria , not much, But now-now the memories were flooding my mind. Her singing, her dancing, her just simply smiling and making everything okay. I feel like I'd been broken into pieces.

"Why would you do that?" I asked. "You tried to kill me. And you actually killed my mother!"

Zeus did not look surprised by my outburst. "First you must understand why I blasted that hotel. It was during World War II. On one side, the winning side, were Poseidon's and my children. Hades' children were on the other. We didn't trust each other enough. I ordered Hades to hand his children over to Chiron at Camp Half-Blood so that they could be cared for properly. He didn't comply so I blasted the hotel."

"Didn't you know I was in there?" I asked.

Zeus blinked. Before he could answer, Hades said, "Of course he didn't. He was impulsive and didn't care if anything within a ten-mile radius survived. The only reason why you are alive today is because of me." I felt gratefull. I thought of him as more of a fathr than anyone else. But I'm not about to blurt that out to everyone.

"What happened afterwards?"

"One of my Furies came and collected you three," he explained. "Later your minds were washed clean by the River Lethe so that you wouldn't remember such an awful event. Afterwards you were all placed in the Lotus Casino for safekeeping. Only a few years ago were you taken out. Bianca and Nico followed a few months later."

"Wait a minute," I said. "Why were we taken out at different times?"

"It was a mistake," Poseidon answered. "The Titans were rising. A scout discovered your scent and took you out of the Casino to take you to Kronos. Did you remember what happened after you escaped?"

I did. I was ten then. I've been on the run for the past four years without knowing what I truly was.

I remember a lot of running during those two years. Someone had taken me away from Nico and Bianca in the Casino. Nico and I had been playing a video game together, each trying to win. But then a large man had taken me away.

"_Where are we going?" I asked and shielded my eyes as we stepped out of the Casino and into the bright sun. How long had it been since I was outside? The sun was never this bright before._

"_To the ocean," the man replied. "There we will board a ship and you will meet someone so powerful and who will give you whatever your heart desires."_

_That sounded like an awesome deal! Whatever my heart desired. I could ask for anything in the world. I looked back at the Casino as it grew smaller into the distance. "Are Nico and Bianca coming?" I asked. "I want to tell them the good news."_

_The man shook his head. "Kronos asked for you, dear child."_

_I stopped walking and prepared to turn around. "I want Nico and Bianca," I said. _

_The man gripped my hand tightly and pulled me further away from the Casino. "If you want them, I can send some people to return and collect them. But until then you must come with me." Like the ten-year old innocent girl I was, I nodded and followed the man further down the street._

_Further into the walk the man had placed his jacket around my shoulders, to hide my wings from the mortals he said. Didn't want anyone to get suspicious about a kid with wings._

_And so we walked for a bit. The man led me to a parking lot and motioned me to step into a car. The car wasn't anything like I remembered. It was so different from the cars I was used to. It was sleek with rounded edges instead of being like a box like the cars I was used to. _

_The man opened one of the back doors of the car for me. I stepped in and settled myself on the plush material. The man began to drive the car out of the parking lot and onto the road. He began to drive far, far away. I glanced back at the city as it shrunk into the distance. I was missing Nico and Bianca terribly. For as long as I could remember we had never been separated in our lives._

"_Are you sure you'll get them?" I asked._

_The man looked at me from the rear view mirror. He nodded. "I promise you that they'll be safe." And I believed him._

_So we drove for a very long time. I got to see a lot during that ride. There was so much to see, so many new things I had never seen before. Needless to say I enjoyed the car ride very much. But of course for everything all good things had to come to an end._

_While we were at a gas station, I had a chance to stretch my legs, and my wings for that matter since there were no mortals around. I enjoyed my time out of the car, finally being able to stretch and run around before we would continue our journey, wherever we would end up._

_I returned to the car only to see my driver talking to a rather odd woman. Instead of feet and legs she had serpent tails that she slithered around on. The rest of her skin was made of scales and whenever she spoke a forked tongue flicked out. Now of course I was freaked out. I screamed so loud I thought the dead might wake up._

_The snake lady and my driver both looked at me. My driver walked over to me to make me be quiet. That only made things worse when the snake lady slithered closer to me. The driver tried to explain that the snake lady was a friend and that she would never hurt me. . I didn't believe him, not a single word, so I turned and ran away from them as fast as I could only to bump into a larger man that had only one eye. Again I screamed._

_That was my first time that I could remember seeing monsters for the very first time. Yes, I was completely shocked. Being the ten year old that I was, I continued to scream and ran away. I wanted nothing to do with these monsters. I was quick on my feet but the man and the monsters were hot on my tail._

_I was captured again, lifted up in the man's arms and taken forcible back to the car and stuffed into the back seat. Realizing that the monsters were coming with us, I decided to escape the next time we were at a gas station. I didn't want to be with these monsters any longer. I wanted to be back with Nico and Bianca. I had to get back._

_I fell asleep in the car despite my efforts to stay up. We drove further and further away from the Casino. By the time I woke up, I had no idea where I was. How would I get back to Nico and Bianca now? If I didn't escape soon, I would never find them._

_Finally I did get my chance to escape. The man exited the car to fill up the gas tank. I waited for him to be fully engaged by his task to escape. When his back was turned, I opened the car door and ran. The man followed me. Just before he grabbed me, I spread my wings and took off into the air. I felt his fingertips brush my ankle. That was a close one._

_I had no idea where I was as I flew above the small town where we were making a stop. Everything was so different than what I was used to. I didn't know where to go. I didn't know where Nico and Bianca were. How would I get back to them now? So I flew off in search of them, only to become more lost in the process. I never did find my way back to the Casino. _

"You were watching over me, weren't you?" I asked. "How would I survive if you weren't?"

"We provided a little help," Athena admitted. "But because of Zeus' law that we were not supposed to interact with our children we could not help you directly."

"You were always on the run," Poseidon said. "It was hard for our scouts to find you. Many demigods were sent but the closer they got to you, the more monsters they encountered. It was too hard for them to reach you. We decided to wait for you to come to us and here we are today."

I blinked. So they did care for me. For a while I thought I had been cursed to remain alone forever since I never did make any new friends on my journey. It was hard to find someone I could relate to without them screaming and trying to chase me off their lawn with a broom (true story).

"What about Nico and Bianca?" I asked. "Where are they?"

"We will let Percy explain that to you," Zeus said.

"You will stay with Percy and his mother for the night since they are the closest," Poseidon said. "Tomorrow he will take you to Camp Half-Blood, a haven for demigods. You will train there to master your sword and defense techniques. Later you will return to Olympus to train with the gods and goddesses who blessed you so that you can master your powers."

I nodded. "Sounds simple enough."

"I know you've had a rough day, Raenyx," Hera said. "Get some sleep dear child and take it easy for the next few days. You will need your energy if you are to live up to what you will become."

"And what will that be?"

"The Savior of Olympus," Poseidon said.


	6. A Warm Smile, Do All Moms Have One ?

After everything that happened today, I felt dead on my feet. Literally dead. I want to sleep _so _badly. Everything that I had to take in made my head spin. It was too much for one day much less an hour. The gods had crammed everything into a 'happy' little package just for me. (As it turns out that that package weighed a good ton.)

Luckily for me, Percy's place was right around the corner. I was so thankful, I really needed a decent place to crash for the night, or a million years. I must've said thank you a million times, but he just kept laughing and saying "Anything for family'. I'd be lying if I said that didn't warm my heart. He had something about him that just made me want to leave all the pretences behind, something _brotherly, _I think with a small smirk.

He led me up to an apartment and knocked on the door. If I wasn't so tired, I might've tried to remember the address. But this was place was a lot better than what I had envisioned. Generally I slept in secluded areas away from people, you know dark alleys, abandoned shops. The average place for a homeless teen. I couldn't go to one of _those _homes because there were to many people there. People just happen to be the bearers of bad news, or sharp objects. Either one is bad.

Using my dusty, light blue windbreaker to cover up my wings, Percy was cool with them, but what if his mum wasn't ? Percy opened the door, revealing a nice cozy apartment. It was painted light blue with scattered objects here and there. Inside the living room was a woman who was older, his mum most likely. With Dark brown hair with a few gray hairs entwined, and the most gorgeous and warm ocean blue eyes, she definitely gave off a motherly aura. Her smile was bright and kind. I felt a little more relaxed already.

"Welcome home, Percy," she said and swept Percy into her arms. This was definitely Percy's mother, Mrs. Jackson. "I see you found her," Mrs. Jackson said and looked to me. Her stare made me slightly uncomfortable, though I know she didn't mean it that way. I just hated it when people stared at me, even if it was just a glance it pushed all the wrong buttons.

"This is Raenyx," Percy said as he stepped away from his mother. "She'll be staying overnight before we both go off to Camp Half-Blood tomorrow morning…?" He trailed off slightly nervous, turning it in to a question.

Mrs. Jackson smiled, nodded ever so slightly, and stepped towards me, arms open. "Welcome, Raenyx." She embraced me like a mother would and ushered me into the kitchen. Food was already laid out on the table. It was strange to see food that was blue. Was this all the rage now? Blue food? Either way, it smelled _amazing! _I've eaten worse, and could totally get past its odd colour.

"Is this what is 'all the rage' now?" I asked, sounding slightly robotic. I winced, slang was so confusing.

"Nope," Percy said with a giant grin, sitting down at the table. He started to eat (inhale) the food set before him.

"It's a weird thing, our family loves blue food," Mrs. Jackson says, her eyes sparkling with happiness, "You'll get used to it. Grab a plate!" she laughs and motions to a seat in-between her and Percy.

I sat down and picked up one of the silver utensils beside the plate. I looked down at the food and didn't even think twice before shoving a bite in my mouth. And then a second. And a third.

Suddenly I realized they were glancing at me. I swallowed, and began to speak.

"I haven't warm food, let alone a homes cooked meal, in a _very _long time. Excuse me, but your cooking is really good Mrs. Jackson." I say, using my somewhat rusty manners. Sally beamed and said "Help yourself, love!" before mothering Percy.

Now that I think about it, I hadn't had a home cooked meal in… I couldn't even remember. Maybe it had been with Bianca. Or maybe even Maria. I couldn't remember and I doubt I ever would.

With a belly full of a home cooked meal, I began to relax a little. I wiped my mouth with a blue napkin and finished my milk. _Yum! _I was starting to think I could trust these people.

While the dishes were being cleared, Sally had _insisted,_ I decided to ask Percy a few questions about this camp we would be going to tomorrow. "Percy?" I asked.

Percy turned around. "Yes?"

"What's this Camp Half-Blood like?"

His eyes lit up immediately. "It's one of the greatest places ever," he said. "Probably for most half-bloods it's like a home away from home. It's the only safe place we can be without having to worry about monsters." That sounded like a paradise. He explained in detail about how the Camp was protected by a magical barrier and the Golden Fleece. He then went on to explained the types of activities that went on during the summer. I was absolutely mesmerized with everything that he said! Pegasai, capture the flag, sword fighting, archery, the sing-a-longs! Never had I heard of such a wonderful place, I was excited to get to be going.

Sally had finished by now, and came over to us. She smiled, "It's time you head to bed, its nearly 10 pm." Me and Percy shared a look clearly saying '_yeah… were _totally_ going to bed before midnight._

She caught us and smiled wryly and said "You have to get up early -me and Percy grimaced in unison- so, bed it is. Raenyx, dear, we don't have an extra bed, so you'll have to use a sleeping bag. Don't worry, Percy hasn't used it yet." She adds with a grin at Percy's mock glare.

"Trust me, a sleeping bag is just fine! -I grin at her- … Is it red?" I finish meekly. Red was my absolute favorite colour, alongside gold, but who had gold sleeping bags?

She looks a bit bemused, but says "Actually, I bought it once when Percy was finished with blue. So, yes it is red. But he loved blue again before he could ever use." She finishes with a small laugh. She motions for Percy to get it, and when he does she waves us off. Percy calls back "Good night mum!" and I say "Thank you Mrs. Jackson!"

She replies with "Night, dears!" Just before Percy closes the door to his room.

It was definitely a boys room. Dark blue walls, cluttered with posters, shirts and random items all about the room. He blushed a bit before saying "I wasn't expecting any guest."

I put my hands up in mock surrender and he throws a pillow at me, but I catch it right before it hits me in the face. I stick my tongue out at him and get started fixing my seeping back up to the right of his bed.

He settles in and turns to look down at me. I think of a question to ask, and suddenly the best one pops in my mind.

"What about the people?" I asked warily. "Are they…"

"Are they what?" he asked.

I searched for the right word. "Welcoming?"

He nodded without hesitation. "They're great. Well, maybe not the Ares cabin but they've always been like that."

"Like what?" I asked.

He wrinkled his nose. "Rude and mean. Just stay out of their way. Especially Clarisse's way. She'll make your life miserable as soon as set foot on camp ground."

I nodded and smirked a bit. _as if I would ever stay away from trouble. _His eyes sparkled with mischievousness that I _knew _mine were replicating.

"Good to know. What else?" I say airily.

Percy talked about the other people at camp, mostly his friends. He talked about Annabeth Chase, a very intelligent daughter of Athena., he smiled a lot when he talked about her. From Aphrodite's gift, I could tell there was a romance between him and Annabeth and his body language practically gave it all away. I smiled. I was _so _going to hold this over him.

Another friend of his was a satyr named Grover Underwood. Apparently he was shy, awkward and clumsy. Plus he had a love for food. I _definitely_ wanted to meet him!

Percy talked my ear off late into the night, which I didn't mind at all. After so many years on the run I found that I enjoyed simple conversations like these. It had been a while since I had someone to talk to about normal things. He was also very entertaining.

He told me of the Stoll brothers, (Who sounded awesome, by the way) of Tyson (Our half-brother that, just so happens to be a Cyclops), of Chiron one of the camp directors (A centaur in a wheel chair.) , and of Dionysus, or Mr. D, the god of wine who was on probation and sent to camp. (I found it hard not to laugh at that)

"Percy," I said, "you said that you knew of Bianca and Nico. What about them?" We had finished laughing, and I simply had to ask him. I was hopeful that he would tell me something about them. I yearned to see them, to hear their voices once again. But the way Percy stilled and the look on his face said something quite different than what I wanted to hear.

"You'll find out tomorrow," he said. "Nico will explain everything." His voice was distinctly less chipper.

I felt a little bit relieved. Nico would be there! (Which meant Bianca was as well, they never liked to stray from each other. Neither did I.) I was very happy, I would finally see them again! Tomorrow everything would be set right. I smiled and nodded, turning away, murmuring "G'night" before nearly dozing off.

I thought about the camp. It sounded like a great home. I was actually excited to go, and yet a little bit wary. The Fates had a tendency to screw around with my life and make it suck even more.

But it would all be worth it to be reunited with Nico…. Right?

These were my last thoughts as I drifted off into sweet, blue food and strawberry fielded dreams.


	7. Leaving Already?

Under construction


	8. I Guess People Do Change

I was shocked at first to see him there. I barely recognized him. He looked far older than his fourteen years. He was thinner than I remembered, but then again he was taller so that could've been a contributing factor. He also looked tired.

"Nico!" I exclaimed and ran up to him. I wrapped my arms around him, smiling. It felt so good to see him, to be beside him. But I felt him tense up in my arms. I pulled back and gave him a slight frown. "Are you okay?"

He nodded, but still pulled back, sticking his hands into his pockets. "It's been a while, hasn't it?" he said. He sounded so cold and bitter. What happened to the happy Nico I once knew?

"What is this?" I asked. "We haven't seen each other in years and you… you're acting as if we never even knew each other."

"We don't know each other," he said bitterly. "You're a daughter of Poseidon, blessed by gods, and I'm a son of Hades with nothing special to offer. Besides, you were the one who broke your promises, why should I trust you?"

I was shocked at first. Why would he say such a thing to me? I never broke any promises.

"What on earth are you talking about?" I asked. "What promise did I break?"

"You promised we'd always be there for each other, never forget each other," he said. "You left and didn't come back."

Now that got me mad. "It wasn't my fault that I left," I yelled. "I was kidnapped. I tried looking for you and Bianca."

His face darkened when I mentioned her. My heart began to beat faster, but I pushed through it. "Nico, I didn't mean to break that promise," I said and clenched my hands into fists. I was really trying not to blow up in his face. "Can't you just forget about it?"

He shook his head. "It's not an easy thing to just forget," he said. "Do you know how worried Bianca was? How worried I was? We thought you were dead."

"I almost was over a hundred times," I told him. "And what about you? You promised to be there for me! You promised to protect me. Why didn't you come looking for me when you got out? You could've found me."

"I tried!" he yelled back. "But I had bigger problems."

Did he seriously just say that? I felt my wings start to shake. I was probably going to lose control soon. "What problems were bigger than looking for me? We're practically brother and sister."

"Problems such as Bianca dying," he said quietly and crossed his arms over his chest.

That statement hit me like a punch to the gut. "Bianca?" I said. All of my anger was gone and it was replaced by a pit of sorrow and grief. "When?"

"A while ago," was all he said. Obviously the subject was still a little sore to talk about. "She… she died protecting four others on a quest. Percy knows more about it than me."

That's why Percy avoided talking about Bianca. He was there when she died.

All of this was too much for me to take in all at once. Was it just yesterday that I found out that I had a family? Was it just yesterday that I could finally stop running for my life? I stumbled back as my mind tried to make sense of it all. I began to see flashes of memories that weren't mine. It hurt to see all of this. Mentally and physically. Whenever I experience these memories or visions, whatever you want to call them, a wave of nausea would sweep over me. I began to feel sick. The pain of a thousand knives began to prick my skin as I fell back onto the ground, curling up into the fetal position. Snippets of memories flashed before my eyes.

_Bianca climbed into a large, bronze robot. The robot began to crumble and fall apart across a great expanse of desert. Four others search the remains of the robot, finding no sign that Bianca ever existed._

_A boy held a bronze statue in his hand. Percy was there, explaining to him what happened. Whatever he said, the other person didn't like it and ran off into the woods of the camp._

Once the visions began to cease, I gained control of my breathing which slowed my heart beat. I coughed a little and sat up. Nico was kneeling beside me. He looked a little concerned by the way his frowning, but it looked more like squinting since the sun was setting hot and bright.

I pushed myself in a sitting position. I looked to Nico. He looked so sad and yet I didn't know how to help him. I wanted to so badly, but a part of me said he wouldn't take it.

"Nico, I-"

He held up his hand, cutting me off. "Don't. There's nothing you can say." Once he saw that I was recovered, he left abruptly, leaving me on the ground. So much for family reunions.

A/N **** Please update. i will need 5 before i continue.


	9. Early Mornings and Sons Of Apollo

I don't like getting up early in the morning. Even while I was on the run, I would stay up late and wake up late. That's how it's always been. Old habits die hard. Eight o'clock was not something I was used to getting up at. Needless to say I was pissed that Percy woke me up so early. Of course I hit him with a pillow after that and pulled the sheets over my head. Then he had Tyson pull me out of bed.

"But I don't wanna," I said, trying to hang onto the bed frame.

"Raenyx," Percy said, "we're leaving soon anyways. I just want to make sure that you have your schedule. Besides, if you don't get up soon, you'll miss breakfast."

"It wouldn't be the first time," I said and struggled to get out of Tyson's grip. "Tyson, you can put me down on the ground now."

"But Percy said-"

"I don't care what Percy said," I growled. "Put. Me. Down." And he did. Once I was firmly placed on my feet, I went back to my bed.

"Oh no you don't," Percy said and held onto my arm, pulling me out of the cabin. "You are going to eat breakfast and you are going to get used to getting up early. While I'm gone, I'm making sure the Nico gets you up in the morning."

I wrenched my arm out of his hand. I didn't need Nico looking after me anymore. He made it pretty clear last night that we weren't friends anymore. I turned back to my bed."

"Raenyx," Percy said, sounding a little exasperated.

"I'm changing," I said. "I'll be out in a minute." I disappeared behind the curtain that separated the cabin. Heavy footsteps left the cabin, leaving me alone. I slipped out of the clothes I wore yesterday. Luckily I was given a pair of shorts and an orange camp t-shirt from the camp store. I was grateful for the change of clothes. I never had many of those while on the run. The only problem I had with it was I couldn't let my wings out. I usually custom fitted my own shirts with a pair of scissors and some safety pins. Looks like the orange t-shirt would have a little makeover.

I looked around the cabin for something sharp, a knife or something. Luckily with Tyson around, there were plenty of useful things all artfully arranged in a box that looked like a sewing kit. Tyson was a crafty… person? I didn't know what to call him yet. It felt strange to have a Cyclops as a brother after I had been chased and nearly eaten by so many.

I dug around the box and found a few items that would help me. I took the scissors and the pins back to my side of the cabin. I made quick work of the shirt and cut two slits into the back so my wings wouldn't be constrained by the fabric. Once the supplies were back in the box, I was ready to make an appearance.

I ran up to the pavilion and took my seat at the Poseidon table. I didn't see Nico anywhere. Probably because there was no Hades table and he probably didn't want to see me.

Breakfast was a simple meal. I had cereal with some fresh strawberries on top. Simply delicious. Then came the time when Percy and his friends would leave. I could tell he was smitten by the leader of the quest, Annabeth Chase. He gave off this aura that said he had feelings for her but didn't know what to do about it. She was beautiful, there was no denying it. With the blonde hair the tanned skin, what guy wouldn't fall for her? And then there was his satyr friend, Grover Underwood. He wore baggy pants and a Rasta cap to hide the horns and to disguise his shaggy legs. Chiron, the centaur, gave them a good farewell as they disappeared into a pile of rocks in the camp forest. Apparently that was where an entrance to the Labyrinth was. As soon as they disappeared, I had never felt so alone. All of these campers snuck glances at me. I wanted to fly up into a tree and hide.

But Chiron turned to the campers who saw the questers off and smiled. "Begin your training, heroes," he said. "We must prepare for Kronos' army."

The campers walked off, murmuring things as they went. Chiron walked up to me. "How you this morning, Raenyx?" Despite the grim mood the camp was in, Chiron still tried to keep things upbeat for the campers' sake.

"Good," I said. "A little lonely."

He nodded as if he was expecting it. "I'm sure you'll make some wonderful friends here. Now, let's go see and what your schedule will be like for you."

He led me to the Big House and gave me a slip of paper. He told me that the satyrs and nymphs around would help me find my way around if I were ever lost. I thanked him politely and went off to the arena for some sword fighting, my first class.

Surprisingly enough, I was the only one in the Poseidon cabin so that gave me a different schedule than with the other cabins. I was all alone, much to my relief, with the sword's master Quintus. I was surprised to see that he had a hellhound for a pet named Mrs. O'Leary. I didn't understand that and obviously the old sword master noticed this and sent Mrs. O'Leary out of the arena while we trained. That made me feel much better.

"So you are the gifted child?" he said casually and shifted his amour.

"Yes," I said warily as my hand itched to grab my necklace and retrieve my sword.

He only nodded. "Then you know what you were born for."

I nodded. "How do you know so much about me?"

"Chiron," he said. "Colleagues share secrets, even as one as big as this. So, enough chit-chat. I want to see what skills you have acquired during your time alone."

I pulled on my necklace and it transformed into my sword. Quintus drew his. We parried for a while. All of it was basic movements, most of which I taught myself. My movements weren't as graceful as his. Quintus' sword was just an extension of his arm. It moved so fluidly through the air and met my sword with a _clash _and _clang. _I could barely keep up with him. Finally, Quintus knocked my sword out of my hand and brought the tip of his to my throat.

"You are not that bad with a blade," he said, "despite having no training." He brought his sword away and let me retrieve mine. "You need to improve your footwork. Your handling is fine. Have you ever tried using your powers?"

I shook my head. "I don't know how," I said. "I understand flying and how to breathe under water, but other than that I don't know how to control the others."

Quintus nodded and paced back and forth. "Well, then it seems we have a lot of work ahead of us. Let's go again." He raised his sword and I raised mine. For the rest of that lesson Quintus pressed me harder and harder while yelling pieces of advice at me. By the end of the lesson, my hands were sore I was covered in sweat. It was only my first lesson here at camp, but obviously they were going to be very tough.

Next I had archery. I raced over to the archery range where Chiron and another camper stood.

"Welcome, Raenyx," Chiron said. "I hope your day is going well."

"Well enough," I said.

"Have you ever tried to shoot an arrow?" he asked. I shook my head. "No worries. I have one of the Apollo campers here to help you." He gestured the young man who stood beside him. "This is Blaise Holmes. He is here to teach you how to master the bow."

Blaise looked to me and grinned, showing off his pearly white teeth. He had a deep tan, dark hair, and these wonderful, chocolate eyes. I smiled back at him, feeling my cheeks heat up.

"Hello," he said.

"Hi."

Chiron smiled and folded his hands. "I will leave you to it, Mr. Holmes." He walked off to see how the others were doing.

"So," Blaise said and casually walked over to me. "You have never fired an arrow in your life."

I shook my head. "Nope. I only have a sword. This necklace doesn't transform into everything. If it did, do you think I would be wearing this ill-fitting clothes?"

He laughed, which sent shivers down my spine. "Good point. Shall we begin?" I nodded and he led me over to wear the bows and the quivers were.

"We'll start with the basics," he said and lifted up two objects made of leather. "These are gauntlets. They'll protect your arms from the string." He handed them to me and showed me how to string them up properly so they wouldn't slip off. His touch was so gentle.

"Thanks," I said as I tested the gauntlets, feeling how sturdy they were and yet they didn't hinder my movements.

We moved onto the stringing of a bow. He told me how you had to have the right tension. Too much tension might break the bow. Not enough and you wouldn't be able to let loose an arrow. It was hard to get the string onto the bow. The ends of the strings slipped several times for me. Finally Blaise helped me put the string on the two ends.

"Now, we learn how to shoot an arrow," he said and handed me a quiver.

For the next hour we spent time shooting arrows at targets. Needless to say I failed at archery. It looked so simple and yet there were so many things I had to remember. I had to remember my footing, my hand placement, keep my back straight, shoulders back, hand to my cheek when the arrow was drawn back. There were too many rules. I was glad that Poseidon decided to give me a sword instead of bow.

I did manage to strike the nearest target at least once near the outer ridge of the target but at least I struck it.

"Not bad, not bad at all," he said. "It's good for a start."

I sighed and lowered my bow. "Just say it, I suck at archery."

He shook his head. "No, you aren't. You just haven't had enough practice. We'll work on it every day and soon you'll be just as good as-"

"An Apollo camper?" I asked hopefully."

He only laughed. "We'll see about that. See you tomorrow, Raenyx."

I smiled. "Until tomorrow." I turned away and began to walk off to my next session which was Pegasus riding. I couldn't help but smile as I walked away. I had this strange feeling about Blaise. He was a sweet boy, good looking too. And now that I would be having him as an archery teacher every day made me feel like the luckiest girl in the world. Maybe life here at camp wouldn't be so bad.

The rest of the day was normal for me. I did receive a lot of stares. I kept to myself after that. Only Blaise had shown me how kind people could be if they were open minded. I had a great time flying the parasail. I got to hear the animals speak in my head. I had great conversations with them. I even got to meet this great horse named Joey. He was different from most of the Pegasus in the stables. He was black with white wings that had golden tips, like mine. He was strong willed and hard to ride (according to other campers who have tried to ride him), but maybe it was because they couldn't hear him talk, they didn't know how he liked to be ridden. With Joey, he had to be given his head.

All you had to do was tell him where you wanted to go and he would take you there. He didn't like to be controlled by the rider.

My highlight for the day was probably archery. I would often catch Blaise looking at me from his spot at the Apollo table. I felt like such a girl for being smitten by him, but no girl could resist that charm.

After dinner we had some free time before the bonfire and sing-along. While all the others went off to talk with friends and have some fun, I went to the stables to check up on Joey. Maybe this could be my hiding place, where I could be alone and collect my thoughts. One thing I did notice thought was that I didn't see Nico all day. He wasn't there at breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Didn't that kid eat? I wasn't all that concerned. He could take care of himself.

I spent the next while grooming Joey and creating a bond with him. I talked to him while he stayed silent and enjoyed the sensation of the curry comb rubbing circles over his black fur.

"Sometimes I don't like being a child blessed by the gods," I admitted to him. "I want a normal life but obviously the Fates don't care what I want."

Joey blew threw his nose as a sign of content. I switched from the curry to a soft bristle brush. "I miss Percy and Tyson already. At least they treated me like a human being and not some freak with wings."

_You ain't a freak with wings, _Joey said. _I have wings and I ain't a freak._

I smiled. "Thank you, Joey. Your words are very comforting."

_You're welcome. Do you have any sugar cubes?_

I smiled and let him crunch on a few as I ruffled his mane.

I spent a good couple of hours in the stables and finally decided to grace the bonfire with my presence, secretly. I stood back from the crowd, watching the Apollo campers set up their instruments on the stage. As soon as they were ready, the music started the marshmallows were set on the stick and placed in the fire. The interesting thing about the fire was that it grew and changed colors with the campers' moods. It was a beautiful sight to see. It even made me forget about all of troubles during the day.

As I stood apart in the shadows, one brave camper decided to stand beside me. I was relieved to see that it was Blaise.

"Hello, Raenyx," he said. "Enjoying the fire?"

I smiled and nodded. "Greatly. I've never experienced anything like this before."

"Well then, why aren't you sitting up close to the fire? That's where the fun is."

I shrugged. "Too many people," I said. "Besides, I can hear the music just fine from here."

"But you're missing out on the marshmallows."

"I've never had one," I admitted.

His eyes widened. "Never?" I shook my head. Then he smiled. "Be right back." He dashed over to the fires and returned two minutes later with two, gold brown marshmallows in his hands. He offered one to me and popped the one into his mouth. I followed his example.

"It's so gooey," I tried to say, but it came out more like "mms zo jooey."

He laughed and wiped the wipe goo off of his chin. I did the same, leaving my fingers covered in a sticky substance.

"How was your first marshmallow?" he asked.

"Sugary," I said. "But good."

"Want another one?"

I laughed and shook my head. "No, no, one's good enough for me."

He nodded. "And how was your first day at camp?"

Considering that he was being nice to me and wanted to hear about my day, I gladly told him. He seemed interested in it and was glad to hear that my first day here was okay. We spent the rest of the camp fire talking and figuring out who each other was. Honestly it was the best night of my life. I went to bed with a smile on my face for the first time in many years


	10. Training

The first week of camp went by fast. Although most of the campers avoided me, I did find a few friends here and there. Blaise was the top one, though. He taught me archery and talked to me when we had spare time. I felt odd around him, and judging the way he glowed, he was feeling the same way about me as I did around him.

"I'm going to Olympus tomorrow," I said as we walked around the lake, leisurely enjoying our free time after dinner and before the bon fire.

"Really?" he asked. "Why?"

"I'm going to master my powers with them," I said and broke out into a grin. "Finally, I'll be able to control myself, and become useful for a future date."

"You're useful," Blaise said.

"Think about it, Blaise," I said, "when Kronos' army arrives, we'll totally be able to kick their sorry self out of here."

He nodded. "You're right. But I still think you're perfect just the way you are."

I blushed. "Well, the thing is, I don't know how long I'll be with them. I know I'll return at night for the bon fire, but other than that I'll be gone for the entire day and I might be gone for a few days, even a week."

"I don't mind," he said. "I know that this probably means a lot to you, and these are things that you have to learn. So, enjoy yourself."

I smiled. "Thank you, Blaise."

"Any time, Raenyx."

The next day was whisked off to the Empire State Building where Olympus sat on top. I had a long and busy day ahead of me. This wasn't simple training with a sword and shield. I was probably going to use a lot of energy and I had to train with all the gods who blessed me.

I arrived on Olympus and was escorted to where Hephaestus was waiting for me. I was going to learn how to control my fire gifts. I had only used my fire ability once and that was completely by accident. I had been so frightened, being cornered by a snake woman. That fear allowed me to shoot a ball of flame from my hand. I haven't been able to produce that fire since.

My escort left as soon as I entered a forge of some sorts. The work benches were filled with gizmos of all sorts, most of which were in pieces. Hephaestus was already busy in his work, muttering under his breath as he fiddled with something in his hands.

"Hello," I said. "I'm here."

The god turned to me. "Ah, young Raenyx. You have arrived."

"Yes, sir."

He beckoned me over to his side. I stood patiently, letting him finish his project before turning to me. "Alright," he said. "I guess I have some time to train you."

Well, that made me feel a lot better. He just treated me like his projects were a higher priority than me.

"Snap your fingers like so," he said. He snapped his fingers and produced a small flame, the equivalent of a candle flame.

So I snapped my fingers like his, but nothing happened. No spark, no flame, nothing. I sighed. "I did what you did."

He shook his head. "No you did not. You must concentrate on your inner energy. Focus on the flame intensely and then snap your fingers. Again."

I concentrated deep inside myself, seeking the desired energy to make a flame appear at will. I found an inner, orange glow and slowly tried to draw it out to my fingers. I breathed deeply and snapped my fingers. A flame appeared! There it was, dancing across my fingertips.

"Now, as long as you focus on that energy, you should be able to call up your inner fire," he said. "But one piece of important advice is that you must keep your emotions in check. Signs of extreme anger or fear will lead to a major self-combustion which can lead to your death."

I nodded. "Okay, keep my emotions in check. Anything else?"

He shook his head. "That's all. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a trap to lay." He shooed me out of the room and closed the door.

"That's it?" I said to myself. "That's all the training I get?" Apparently it was because I never did see Hephaestus again. That was all the training I received.

The next Olympian to take me was Athena. I was led to a giant library. Rows upon row upon rows of books were stacked away neatly into dozens and dozens of bookshelves that needed a ladder to reach the top. Of course this was Athena's library so I couldn't be all that shocked.

"What will I be learning here?" I asked. Reading wasn't my strong suit. Hopefully Athena knew that about me.

"You will be learning how to control the minds of others," Athena explained. "You will be taking a piece of your mind and placing it inside of theirs. From that you will be able to see the inside of their mind, their actions and their thoughts."

She showed me to a few tables that were laid out, probably used for stacking books to study from. But today there were no books on the tables. There were only sleeping mortals.

"You will practice on them," Athena said. "They will not be hurt by this, nor will they remember. The only thing you will be doing is reaching into their mind to find a library of sorts. There are going to be thoughts swirling around you, many thoughts. Do not let those distract you. I want you to find the general thought for actions. Once you have that thought, place your hand on it and the person will do what you want them to do."

"And what will I make them do?" I asked.

"You will start with something easy. Wake them up and then put them back to sleep."

I nodded and stepped up to one woman who was sleeping peacefully. Since I knew how to use my power Athena didn't instruct me on how to take a piece of my mind. I did it the same way I had called up the fire.

I looked deep inside myself and found what I was searching for. I placed my hand on the mortal's forehead to strengthen the bond. I knew that I would have to do this without touching the person in the future, but for now this was all practice. I finally felt a connection between the mortal's mind and mine. It felt like there was a string tied around my stomach. The more power I used to create the connection, the more it felt like my stomach was being pulled out of my gut.

When I finally created the connection, it felt like I was passing through a vacuum. When the strange feeling finally passed, I found myself in a dark room with swirling, silver clouds. These were probably the thoughts. I searched for 'actions' for a while, becoming dizzy as the clouds swarmed around my head. The 'actions' cloud finally became visible to me. I reached up and pulled the cloud down to me. Several ghost like voices sounded in my head, _sleepy, hard, cold. _It was a little unnerving at first but I gradually became used to it.

I focused on trying to make the mortal wake up, but suddenly I passed back through a vacuum and landed back in my body where I collapsed on the floor.

Unimpressed Athena looked down at me. "Not bad for a start," she admitted. "But you did not wake the mortal up. Try again."

I groaned and struggled to stand, gaining as much energy as I could before going back into the woman's mind.

This process was repeated several times during the time I was with Athena. When I was finally able to force the woman into my command, my energy was spent. I collapsed on the floor once again; feeling like sleeping for a hundred years wouldn't even help me out.

"Better," Athena said. "But not perfect.

My response to this was, "Ohhhhhh." Instead of going at it one more time, Athena said we would continue tomorrow and the next after that and the next day after that until I could master the gift. It was onto my next training session.

The rest of the day progressed like this. I often practiced on sleeping mortals. Apparently I wouldn't be able to damage them at all so it was okay if I made a mistake or two.

With Hera I leaned the connections between people. The connections could be seen as lines or strings if I really concentrated hard enough. Different colors represented different connections. Silver was love, green represented the connection between family, purple was friendship which deepend depending on how close you were, anger and hatred was given a red color, and gold and white, together, stood for soul mates. I was still mastering it and could only see the bonds when I concentrated really hard.

Apollo taught me how to control my singing so that I wouldn't control anyone with it. That session ended with me having a red face and Apollo laughing his butt off. See, he was flirting with me most of the time. I wasn't in the mood for flirting so of course I tried to give him the cold shoulder. When that didn't work, I tried other tactics that apparently made me look like a dancing chicken. No, I am not going to delve into those details. Some things are better left unsaid. So by the end I did learn how to control my singing voice. I was able to control the amount of power I put into my singing.

Aphrodite was a little more interesting than all the others. She smiled a lot and was squealing when she found out that I had a crush on Blaise back at camp. We talked for a bit. I had never had any girl talk in my life so it was a new experience for me. Interestingly enough I enjoyed it. I felt like I could tell Aphrodite everything that was going on in my life. I could let out my emotions and have a sympathetic ear listening to my every word. I decided right then and there that I had to find myself a girl to be my friend.

Finally after what seemed like hours of girl talk, Aphrodite decided to get down to business. It was like of the training with Hera, but it dealt with emotions rather than connections. There were six main colors that I had to watch out for. They would shimmer around people like an aura. Pink meant that the person was in love, yellow meant pregnancy and brightened the further along while being pregnant, grey meant brokenness and feeling unloved, black represented hate only, bright green was happy-go-lucky, dark blue was sadness, orange was determination, gold stood fora good person, like they weren't evil and were heroes, white was compassionate, red was angry, and lastly a nasty brown color stood for evilness. I could only use this when i really tried as well.

The sessions were all going pretty well until it was time to practice with the Big Three. And there were obviously not going to go easy on me.


	11. Quality Time With My Dear Ol' Dads

The first god of the Big Three that I would be training with today would be Zeus. Apparently it was time for me to learn how to fly properly and skillfully. Sure, I knew how to fly. Albeit a little clumsy, but I managed. I didn't think it would be all that hard, but apparently it was. There were all these techniques that I had to learn. He just had to make it so difficult, didn't he?

There were a lot of things I had to remember while flying. I had to remember that they were an extension of my arms and that I should treat them very carefully. I had to make sure that they were always in pristine condition. All birds took care of their wings to get rid of bugs and dirt particles stuck in the feathers. Birds also secrete a waxy substance to coat their feathers and make them water proof. When I learned about this, I nearly lost my lunch.

"I have to do _what_?" I asked. "That's disgusting!"

Zeus only rolled his eyes. "I don't mean that you have to create this. I am merely trying to say that you must take care of your wings. Otherwise your feathers will malt and you'll be flightless. Now, continue your exercises."

I sighed. My exercises consisted mainly of diving and turning sharply. For diving I was to fly up high and then suddenly tuck my wings in so that I would drop from the sky. Only at the last moment would I unfold my wings and prevent myself from becoming a giant, red spot on the ground.

For sharp turns I would bend one down wing and bring up the other. I flew around Olympus a few times until I finally got it. Of course I didn't master everything right away. It was hard and Zeus demanded perfection. I was anything but. I tumbled out of the sky a few times, ending up with more scrapes and bruises than I could count. It was okay for the first training session. Zeus said we would continue until I no longer fell out of the sky. Plus he told me I had to groom my wings at least once a day to keep them clean.

Then it was onto Poseidon. I was really excited about this. Poseidon was technically my real father so it was time to have some father daughter time, another first time experience for me. I wouldn't be training on Olympus, though. The Big Three never really got along so I would go under the sea and train in Poseidon's palace.

I had never been underwater before. It would be a good way to clean my feathers, though. Just one less thing I had to worry about. I knew that ducks and geese had waterproof wings so the water rolled right off instead of soaking into the feathers. I took my time getting my feathers ready. I dipped them in the water gently at first and flapped them to shake off most of the water. After several repetitions of this, my wings were mostly water proof. Of course it would take a while for them to become completely waterproof, but it was a start.

I waited on the edge of the East River for Poseidon to arrive. He was going to lead me out to the sea as well as to teach me how to swim. There was more water than land on the Earth. I guess you could say I was scared of the water. There were so many other things living down there that I had never seen before. Sharks, squids, poisonous fish, man-eating fish, you name it. The water was a dangerous place to be. More dangerous than land I would say.

When Poseidon arrived, he wasted no time in getting me in the water.

"I can't breathe underwater, though," I pointed out.

He smiled at me. "Believe me, Raenyx, you can. You've just never tried before. I know it'll be a little scary at first, but just take in a deep breath like you would on land, and you'll be fine. I will take care of you." With that he jumped into the river, leaving me behind.

Having no choice but to follow, I jumped into the water. It was dark at first, and then I realized that my eyes were closed. I opened them, prepared for the water to blur my vision, only it didn't. In fact, the water didn't even touch me. It was like I was in a bubble, hopefully a protective one.

The bubble, as I deemed it, made me feel a little more comfortable in the water. I also found out that I could move through the water pretty easily. Swimming came naturally to me. I also felt at ease here. Finally I felt like I was safe and at home. It was probably the daughter of Poseidon thing. Swimming just felt natural, more natural than flying and going into people's minds ever was.

The only problem I had with being in the East River was all the garbage that was down here. It was absolutely revolting. I felt dirty myself.

I floated around for a bit, getting a feel for swimming. When my confidence grew enough, I swam further through the East Rive. I didn't know where Poseidon went, but I wasn't panicked by it. In fact it was almost like I had a built in navigator. I just felt like I knew where I was supposed to go, out into the open ocean.

I swam for a bit, putting good distance between me and the coast. Fish swam past me and sometimes even with me. They bumped against me with their tails to get my attention. I even heard them speak in my mind, saying _daughter of the sea god, and princess _in very excited tones. Obviously they were very excited to meet me.

When I figured I was out far enough, I stopped swimming and sat on the ocean floor, resting a little. Swimming was tiring. My arms and legs were sore, but the feeling soon disappeared. Overall swimming was definitely on the top of my hobbies' list.

"Enjoying yourself?" Poseidon floated up beside me. He looked more like a sea god than a tourist. His trident was in his right hand and his legs had transformed into a mermaid's tail or in his case a merman's tail.

I nodded, smiling. "Greatly. I feel so at home down here."

He smiled himself. "Any child of mind would feel most at home in any body of water. Just be careful when there is a full moon out. That is when your curse takes affect."

I nodded again and kicked myself off the sea floor. Poseidon began to swim forth and I began to follow with a trail of marine mammals following in our wake.

It didn't take us long to reach his palace. My jaw nearly dropped down to the silt when I saw it. It kind of gave off this green glow, like it was a city which it practically was. I saw more mermaids and mermen swimming about along with dolphins and other marine creatures. Whenever Poseidon and I passed by, the creatures bowed and stayed that way until we passed by. Poseidon smiled at them nicely and made small talk with a few as we made our way to the palace. Most of the creatures we passed stared at me and gawked. Of course I was the freak with wings here. Even down here Zeus' curse decided to follow.

"Just stay with me, Raenyx," Poseidon said. "You could get lost down here otherwise."

I stuck close by his side after that. "What will I be learning?"

"Simple connections to the sea," he said. "I will help you master your connections with sea creatures as well as to harness your water control abilities."

I nodded and followed him into the palace. It seemed like they were preparing for a battle down here. Maps and battle ready mer-people were everywhere. When I asked Poseidon what was happening, he simply said it was for preparations and that I shouldn't be worried about it.

He led me to a large, open room that was quiet enough with little distractions. "We will work in here," he said. "Here is where we'll be alone and practice. Now, to start off I want you to concentrate on the feel of the water around you. I want you to bend it to your will."

I nodded and took in several, deep and cleansing breaths. When I felt like I was ready, I started to get the feel of the ocean, trying to become one with it. I raised my hands and concentrated on trying to create a whirlpool. I focused on the current of the water, trying to get it to move and bend to my will. I began to become excited when I felt the water move in the room. Slowly but surely the water began to churn. The current became stronger and stronger until the whirlpool was created. I smiled from ear to ear, but slowly my energy began to leave me. The water came back to a dead halt and I was left on my knees. When I felt a little less dizzy, I stood up and said, "That was awesome!"

I looked to Poseidon and saw him smiling. "Wonderful," he said. "That's exactly how you do it. It will come to you easier the more you practice. Just keep your emotions in check for the ocean can be calm at one moment but violent in the next."

I nodded and floated around a bit, coming down from the amazing rush I had wile creating the whirlpool. "What about marine life?" I asked. "Do they listen to me as well?"

He nodded. "Anything associated with water will obey your command. They will help you and guide you whenever they can."

"Is that all for today then?" I asked.

"Yes," Poseidon said. "For now. I'm afraid I have some important duties to attend to. Return tomorrow and we can continue this."

I smiled and swam up to him. I gave him a light hug which he returned. I swam out of the palace and back towards dry land. I had one more god to see, Hades.


	12. Coldness, Reunitment, & Flirtation

Back on dry land once more, Hades met me on the streets somewhere in Manhattan. He didn't say much and only said for me to follow him. He led me down the back alley ways where dark shadows were spotted. He walked in them and nearly disappeared since he was dressed in dark apparel. Suddenly he grabbed my arm and pulled me into the shadows.

I wasn't prepared for it at all. It felt like my face was going to peel off. The moment finally passed and I collapsed on the ground.

"You could've warned me," I groaned. "What was that anyway?"

"Shadow traveling," he answered. "Just one of the many things you will learn here."

"And where is here exactly?"

"The Underworld."

I stood up and brushed off my clothes. I took in my surroundings. Here I was standing in the land of the dead. Spirits of those who died passed around us, speaking in a whispery tone that I couldn't understand. Hades walked passed them like this was just his normal everyday routine. The spirits made a path for him. I followed quickly.

"You will learn how to shadow travel by yourself," he said without turning around. "You will learn to control them later on. You will learn how to raise the dead and call them to your aid."

"Will it be hard?" I asked.

He nodded. "When dealing with the dead, you have to be careful. Since you are not my child, though I raised you as so , the dead may see you as a threat and may try to subdue you. It takes a lot of energy to control them."

"Got it."

He led me to an open space that was completely empty. Torches hung in brackets upon the walls, creating many types of shadows. Hades stood off to the side as I stood in the middle of the room. He didn't give me any advice other than I had to control them. I closed my eyes and looked inside of myself. Like all the other times I spotted a power source inside of me that I hoped could help me out. It was a dark and cold, but I proceeded to pull it out and use it.

I didn't like the feel of this inner energy. It was far more sinister than any of the other inner energies I had used. I became so cold. The very warmth of my blood was being sapped by this inner energy. I began to bend it and use it before it would control me completely. I started to walk to the shadows. I placed a hand on them. My hand met solid rock. It wasn't working. It was supposed to be going through the shadow. I pulled my hand away and tried again. This time I received a different reaction. It was like an icy grip seized my heart and started to squeeze. It became so cold. I began to shiver uncontrollably. I swear that I saw frost begin to form on my fingertips.

As it grew colder I began to lose more control of myself. I heard voices. They called me princess, but the word sounded hissed, and mocking. They were forcing me back, trying to control me. But I wouldn't give in. I couldn't. And yet everything was too cold. I shivered and fell to the floor, giving into the dark.

When I came back to the light, I coughed and wheezed, forcing air back into my lungs. The cold feeling was beginning to leave. I felt a little bit warmer. Someone gave me something to drink, which warmed me even more.

"Take it easy," a familiar voice said. "You almost lost yourself down there."

My eyes finally focused in the dim lighting. I looked up to see Nico hovering above me. "Nico?" I rasped. "What are you doing here?"

He helped me to sit up against the wall. He passed me a canteen and told me to drink only a little of it. "It's nectar," he said. "It's a godly drink that helps heal demigods. Not too much, though. You'll burn up if you do."

I nodded. "Good to know. Now, why are you here?"

"I came to help," he said plainly. "My father went off to attend to something he couldn't get out of. Obviously you have a lot to learn."

I rolled my eyes. "You think? The shadows attacked me. They tried pushing me out."

"That's because you're not a child of Hades," he explained. "You were blessed by him, but that doesn't mean the darkness will accept you willingly. It'll take you a lot of time to master it fully. Even I didn't get it right off the bat."

I groaned. "So this is going to take a while then?"

He nodded. "I think the shadows will be left for another day, seeing as you almost died."

"Then what are we going to be learning?" I asked.

"How to raise the dead," he said with a smile.

He led me out of the room and into a garden. "Persephone's garden," he said with distaste. "I guess you could call her our step-mother. She's only here for six months of the year so we can use her garden for now."

He brought me over to one of the garden beds. A freshly dug hole was spotted. Beside it was a bag from a fast food restaurant.

"What's this for?" I asked.

"Summoning them," he said. "We use food and drinks to call upon the spirits. They come and drink from it, and then we can speak to them."

"Is this as hard as shadow traveling?"

He shrugged. "It can be. You just need to know the right words." He began to speak in Ancient Greek. I didn't understand a single thing he was saying. "That's all you have to say," he said after he finished the Greek.

"How am I supposed to remember all that?" I asked. "You were speaking gibberish."

"If you calmed down, I can teach you," he said.

"As if you would teach me," I mumbled. "I bet you're here only because Hades forced you to be here." He didn't respond. I took that as a yes. "I guess I'm right. You don't want to be here as much as I don't."

Nico groaned. "If you want to learn how to master your gifts, then you have no choice but to listen to me."

"I can learn them without you," I said. "Hades can teach me just fine."

"If you haven't noticed, Raenyx, he's a god. He doesn't care about demigods, much less his own son. Now, if you want to learn, then you _have _to listen to me."

I sensed bitterness in his words. He even gave off the slightest hint of a gray aura, meaning he felt unloved. I didn't want to hurt Nico. Deep down inside of me there was still a part of me that cared about him.

I sighed. "Fine. Teach me the darn words."

The better part of an hour was spent trying to learn the sayings needed to raise the dead. It was hard work. The Ancient Greek was hard for me to understand how to say properly. He showed me how to raise one of the dead by giving me a simple demonstration. It didn't look all that hard, but he was a professional compared to me.

"Your turn," he said.

I stepped up to the hole and threw in some French fries and a dribble of Coca Cola. I began to chant just like he had did, stumbling over the words every now and then. Then came the time I was to summon a specific ghost. I chose Bianca di Angelo. I wanted to see her so badly. It had been so long. Nico looked nervous.

Finally a shade appeared and took some French fries and drank a little of the sweet liquid. The shade stood up, revealing a young adolescent female, dressed in the silvery garb of a Hunter with a floppy green cap resting on her black hair.

"Nico, I told you to quit-" Bianca stopped short. Her eyes were fixed upon me. "Raenyx? What are you doing here? I thought you were dead."

"Obviously she's not," Nico mumbled.

"Nico, could you give us a moment alone?" Bianca asked.

"But-"

"Please, Nico," Bianca said. "We need some time alone." With a sigh, Nico reluctantly left the garden, leaving me and Bianca alone.

Bianca reached out to touch me, but she couldn't. She was only a shade. She had no body. "It's so good to see you again," she said. "I was so worried about you."

I smileda big toothy grin that im sure took off 9 years making me look like a five eyar old. "I'm fine now. Turns out I'm a daughter of Poseidon and blessed by several Olympians. I can take care of myself now."

Bianca smiled. "I can see that. I bet Nico was happy to find out that you were still alive. He missed you so much when you disappeared."

I lost my smile. "He wasn't all that excited," I admitted. When she asked why, I completely opened up to what had happened over the past four years. Bianca took most of it in silence. Oh how I wished I could feel her arms around me and give me some comfort. I felt so alone.

"So I guess you could say our relationship isn't the greatest right now," I finished.

"I see," Bianca said. "Children of Hades are known for holding grudges. It's our fatal flaw. And also think of it from Nico's perspective. First he loses you. Then he loses me.

He probably feels like he has no control over anything. Then he finds out that you're a daughter of Poseidon and blessed by several other gods. His life is a little out of control right now. If you give him time and space, I'm sure you two will figure out what to do. I have to go now, okay? Just give Nico some time. Everything will work out in the end." She gave me one, last, heartwarming smile and faded away. Nothing ever worked out for me. But Bianca's words did soothe my soul even for a little while.

I spent the rest of the evening down in the Underworld with Nico, trying to master my gifts. Raising the dead was a little bit easier to master than shadow traveling. Shadow traveling seemed to take up a lot more of my energy. Nico said we would practice more tomorrow.

"I'll take you back to camp," he said. "Hold onto my arm." He offered his hand to me. I took it, ignoring the little tingle I received from the contact.

One cold and windy journey later, Nico and I stood on the top of Half-Blood Hill.

"Here you go," he said without leaving the shadows. "Safe and sound."

"Aren't you coming?" I asked.

He shook his head. "This place isn't meant for me. I'll see you tomorrow." He walked back into the shadows and disappeared.

I walked down the hill, going towards the Poseidon cabin. I felt ready to just collapse on my bed and get some much needed rest. Only the Fates decided that wasn't to be my night at all. Instead I had a rather wonderful surprise show up.

Blaise stood at the door of the Poseidon cabin, holding a wicker basket. "Hello, beautiful," he said.

I blushed. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought I could treat you to a wonderful night out," he said. "Interested?"

I looked at the basket and saw that there was a meal packed for two in there. My stomach growled. I had worked up quite the appetite today. "You shouldn't have," I said. "I don't deserve this."

"I believe every girl should be treated to at least one picnic in her life," he said. "Come on. We'll go down to the lake and have a delightful night together." He flashed me one of his charming grins and began to walk to the lake. What was a girl to do? I couldn't reject him. He made me feel beautiful and loved something that I hadn't felt in a long time.

Out on the docks we sat, eating the sandwiches that Blaise provided. It was honestly the best meal I had ever had. We told each other about our day and what had happened. I told him about my training and that it wasn't as hard as I had thought it was going to be. I even showed him the fire trick by snapping my fingers. He seemed impressed.

"So I take it that your first day of training wasn't all the bad," he said.

I nodded. "It'll take a while for me to master my gifts, but things seem to be going well." He nodded as well, eyes looking in the distance.

We skipped the bonfire that night to be in each other's company. Together we looked up at the stars and pointed out the constellations. We talked for hours on that dock. I kept looking over at him. He looked so handsome in the moonlight. The way he smiled, the way his eyes lit up when he was laughing. He was absolutely perfect.

When curfew approached, Blaise walked me back to my cabin.

"Thank you for this wonderful evening," he said and held my hand. His thumb skimmed the top of my knuckles, warming me down to the core.

"I enjoyed it as well," I said.

He brought my hand to his lips. I closed my eyes and bit my lip. He surprised me even more when he didn't kiss my hand goodnight but cheek. He smiled and laughed before wishing me a goodnight. That night I went to bed, feeling like the happiest girl in the world .


	13. Some First Date

*This chapter .like all before, have been edited to top notch quality by my beta reader booknerd95. *

Me: "I also would like to say that although I own Percy Jackson -"

Nico : "The only thing she owns are her oc's and a very un healthy obsession with me."

Me : "Shut up! My obsession for Alec Volturi is much stronger then mine with you is. Besides I have a special plan for who's going to be you're one true love…"

Nico : "No! I already love -"

Me : " On with the story!"

Five days with training with the gods had passed. I had learned to master most of my gifts quite well. I never did see Hephaestus again, but the knowledge he gave me was invaluable. It showed me how to master my other gifts. Besides, learning how to master fire wasn't as hard as learning the other gifts. Controlling the water was a cinch, it came naturally. Learning the auras and connections between people wasn't that hard either.

Charm speak was easy since I was able to practice on Blaise. He agreed to let me use him as long as I didn't ask him to do anything embarrassing or anything that could damage his reputation here at camp. Singing was easier for me now. Even Apollo was impressed. For the visions he could give me no advice since they came whenever and there was no possible I could ever control them. The only powers I couldn't grasp fully yet were shadow traveling and raising the dead. The shadows still mocked me with call of 'princess' and when they were being particularly cruel 'My queen!' , but it was slowly becoming less terrifying to enter the, and the dead cost me too much energy, but at least it wasn't as bad as the first encounter.

I went to bed each day with a smile on my face. The people at camp slowly became used to me. Some even talked to me, most stopped glaring. Even the Aphrodite children became interested in my relationship with Blaise.

One day when I woke up, I was in a happy daze. I was so happy that I forgot that I was alone in the cabin and still didn't have many friends here at camp. Of course my happiness didn't last all that long. I was woken up by a skeletal like hand shaking my shoulder. I shrieked of course and summoned my sword. I always slept with it.

"Easy there," a male voice said. "Wouldn't want to skewer me."

"Nico," I yelled. "Why did you do that?"

Nico shrugged. "Someone had to get you up. Come on. Breakfast is starting."

I put my sword, Kai, away. I nodded and yawned, rubbing my eyes. "I'll be there in a minute," I said. Nico quietly left.

I quickly changed into some jean shorts and an orange camp tank top. Apparently the Aphrodite girls complained about the lack of tank tops resulting in the camp store stocking up in them. I liked wearing them now. I found them less restrictive in terms of my wings than regular t-shirts.

I walked out of my cabin and towards the pavilion. A few campers said good morning to me and smiled. I returned both gestures. I walked over to the Poseidon table and sat down. It was quite lonely here, seeing that every other table had more than two people sitting at them (not including the Artemis, Hera, and Zeus' table). Deciding that I didn't want to sit alone, I picked up my plate of pancakes and moved to the Apollo table, sitting down beside Blaise.

"Not that I mind having a gorgeous girl sitting next to me," he said, "but we have to sit at our tables."

"Actually, Blaise, if you think about it, I'm blessed by Apollo, making me his daughter," I said. "So I am therefore allowed to sit here. But if you want me to leave-"

"No! I mean, it's okay. Just give me you're pancakes and were even," he said with the slightest blush on his face. I laughed and handed them over, earning a peck on the cheek.

"So today is Saturday and I'm one bored sea princess," I said dramatically.

"Sea princess?" he asked with his mouth full. _Charming._

"Well my father is king of the sea, so yeah princess. But I'm probably the 100th in line, but that's beside the point. My brothers are gone and so is Annabeth and I'm bored," I explained.

"Well, I guess I could take you out on a date. Be ready at 7:00," he said coolly.

"Um who said you're my type?" I asked with a straight face. "I have my eye on that Hephaestus kid who winked at me yesterday." He nearly choked on his food. I had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing.

"B-but I thought-" he stuttered.

I laughed loudly and kissed him on the lips. When I pulled away, he looked even more confused.

"I was kidding," I said. "Next time ask me. I don't get told what to do." And with that I sauntered off, making sure to sway my hips.

As I walked out of the pavilion, I looked over my shoulder to find Blaise but found Nico instead. He glanced at me quickly then turned his gaze to the ground. He gave off a grey aura. But before I could get to concerned Blaise stood up, cutting my view from Nico. He gave a charming grin. I gave him a little wave and smile in return before walking away.

I had the day to myself for once. The gods decided to give me a day off after all the hard work I had done so far this week. Demigods also received the weekends off to have some down time, time to write to family and friends beyond the camp boarders. I spent the time catching up the Pegasus named Joey.

"Hey, Joey," I said and ruffled his mane. "How's my favorite Pegasus in the world?"

Joey neighed. _Not too shabby, boss. Been pretty lonely around here without you, though._

I snuck him a sugar cube. "I'm sorry. I've been busy, but at least we have the weekend all to ourselves."

Joey nodded in agreement. _Does that mean a grooming is on its way?_

I nodded.

I spent a long time in the stables that afternoon. Joey _needed _to be cleaned. Apparently he was harder to groom than the other mounts in here since he was so wild. When I was done with him, his dark coat gleamed and his wings shone in the light. Once Joey was as happy as could be, he allowed me to take him out into the sky. For a while I did fly on his back, but then I had a need to stretch my wins. I jumped off his back and into the air, stretching my golden tipped wings out as far as they were able to go. Needless to say, my afternoon went very well.

It was finally time to start worrying about what to wear for my date. I had no date worthy clothes. All I had were pajamas, several pairs of camp clothing, and my old pair of running in the streets clothing. I had to get rid of those at some point.

Luckily I didn't have to worry for long. A daughter of Aphrodite had befriended me. Her name was Molly and she had heard of my date with Blaise. News certainly traveled fast in this place.

"You are coming with me," Molly said. She gripped my hand as soon as I had touched down on the ground and dragged me off to the Aphrodite cabin.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Getting you ready for your date."

I heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank you. I don't know what I would wear or do with my hair."

My blonde friend turned and winked a green eye at me. "That's why I'm here, Rae. I'll help you out for sure."

And for three hours she did help me. I didn't know that it would take three hours to get ready, but apparently there were a lot of things I had to be worried about. First there was the dress, the shoes, the hair, the make up and all that other stuff that I never had to worry about. Also Molly talked _a lot _during that time. She was a true gossiper just like all the other Aphrodite children. She spoke of all the cute guys at camp and what couples would make or break it. I simply sat there and listened.

By the end of it all I looked _completely _different, but in a good way. I was dressed in a beautiful, gold, Greek styled dress along with a pair of gladiator sandals. My hair had been loosely curled, showing off the golden streaks that Molly absolutely adored.

"You are a miracle worker," I said. "Thanks so much."

She smiled. "You can make it up to me by telling me all about your date tonight."

I smiled. It was a good deal after all. "You've got a deal." I left the Aphrodite cabin and went back to mine to wait out the final moments to when Blaise would pick me up. Little butterflies fluttered around in my stomach. Each minute that passed brought me closer to what I thought was going to be a perfect date.

When he knocked on the door, I immediately jumped over to it. I opened the door and there stood Blaise in a white, buttoned shirt and dark wash jeans. He smiled. "Ready to go?"

I nodded. He presented his armed to me. I latched onto his arm and he escorted me out of the cabin and towards the camp boarders.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

He leaned into me and whispered into my ear, "It's a surprise." His lips brushed my ear. "And you are going to love it."

We dodged campers and a scary dragon to get past Thalia's tree. He was taking me out of the camp! He must have something brilliantly planned for tonight. When we were about ten yards away from the border, he stopped.

"What's wrong Blaise?" I asked. I looked around and saw that Blaise had disappeared. I couldn't see him anywhere. A feeling of alarm crept up my spine. I pulled out Kai and held it up.

"Blaise!? Hello!?" I yelled with my wings out. Instead of seeing Blaise appear, this blonde, young man stepped into my field of vision.

"Hello Raenyx," he said coolly. I looked at his aura and saw nothing but black and grey. I lunged after him but someone from behind me grabbed my wing and was twisting it so far back I had to drop my sword.

The blonde guy unsheathed his own sword and pressed it to my throat. I tried to open my mouth to sing or charm speak, but he just pushed it deeper in my throat. Again I tried to use another gift, but the person behind me had tied my hands behind my back. I felt so weak, so helpless. I tried to enter their minds, but the blonde in front of me had a mind so dark I felt like I was being thrown out by the shadows again. The person behind me kept twisting my wing anytime I tried to enter. I couldn't sense any water close enough and suddenly I felt my wing snap. The pain was so sharp and so intense that I couldn't help it. I passed out.

***Hades knows how many hours later***

When I woke up, I found myself in a very dark place. My wing and neck felt like they were on fire. Every time I moved, pain would ricochet down my spine, causing me to yelp. I looked around after my eyes had grown used to the dark. I spotted a girl about my age. I barely had enough time to notice that her hands were in chains before someone kicked me in the head. After all that abuse, my body finally said _Goodnight. _And the lights were shut off completely.

AUTHOR'S NOTE*** Okay i will need 9 reviews to get another chapter. as of now i have 41. i would definatly adore 50 and give shout outs as wel. i have a chapter all wrtten out and i know that cliffy's like the one above would make _me _review. Sorry to giult trip but i stand firm in my decision.


	14. Waking Up To A Unending Nightmare

***Unknown pov***

When they brought in princess, I knew that 'the plan' was coming into motion. Blondie and his Apollo crony had been talking about a 'hottie with wings' with 'the power to pose a threat'. Now if you asked me, she looked like you average Aphrodite kid with wings. She also looked like she had been eaten by a lion, drowned, and maybe they dyed her hair? No one had _natural _black hair with gold streaks. But then again she did have wings….

What was even weirder was the fact she didn't have a future. Blondie was going to Elysium, though that caused me to wonder if my oh-so-cool power was malfunctioning. It wasn't. Even the black-haired laky that dragged her in was going to Elysium. That _really_ made me think. But my power had never been wrong, even when I wanted it to. Well not wanted, but I mean it was still an option. I would have preferred to have been able to choose. I'd never seen my reflection. So I wouldn't know where I was going. When my mom handed me over, she made sure that camp didn't let me see a mirror. Then when these goons took me, they got the memo. I mean they could understand that I couldn't look into a mirror without having some big-freaking-hades-knows what happen, but they didn't get that if, when, the titans win, we're gunna die. And our last 'hope' was lying face down with drool and mutters coming out of her mouth.

Oh well. It didn't matter. I never had hope. The children at camp used to say things like 'the gods will save us'. Then when they actually heard about the law 'the heroes will save us,' I had never seen so many gullible people in my life. They really believed that this wo-_girl _could save us all from a freaking titan army? By _herself_?! Please. They shouldn't have had any hope when they saw that 5'11 sack of feathers walk into camp.

But to me it didn't matter. If the world ends oh well, here I come Fields of Asphodel. If it didn't? I'd still end up on the streets cold and hungry. But it's almost funny, you know? Thinking that you could stop an entire army, but get defeated by two teenage demigods.

But a cold-heartless daughter of Thanatos like me doesn't care, simply because she can't.

If I ever complained about something, it would be that. It wasn't like I _tried _not to care. I just couldn't. Whenever I told others about my curse, they said 'what a -' , insert whatever curse word was cool that day. The worst part was _I couldn't even get mad. _Now the only reason I know this wasn't normal was when I saw others do things like smile. Or cry, or whatever. I had never cried. Not even as a baby. I had never smiled, screamed, or even laughed. It was kind of weird, to never feel anything. I could think, speak, and move, but I couldn't feel. It was like being numb and not knowing it.

But before I had more time to ponder my waste-bin life, I saw the sack of feathers move. I kicked to be sure it was awake and was rewarded with some swearing I wouldn't have thought an Aphrodite chick was capable of. Ohhh.

***Raenyx's pov***

I woke up to feel my tangled hair matted down with what could only be blood. I knew they beat me, I'd woken during one of the rounds, but did they really have to rip my dress? Oh man, look at me! I had much bigger worries than that. Like just what was it that was making my powers diluted, why was my wing bent like this, how could I fix this, and who was that person in front of me. My first thought was 'My gosh she's dead!'. Then I realized she was staring back at me. Her expressionless face plus her dark eyes and dark hair was a chilling sight. She wasn't ugly, just beaten. Oh and there was the small fact that she didn't have an aura. Nothing. I couldn't see anything in her eyes. Nothing cold and calculating, nothing scared, _nothing. _

Before I had time to wonder more about her strangeness, the blonde haired person who did this to me- along with the help of my flippin' boyfriend- came waltzing in like he hadn't just beat the living kelp out of me. Oh and _wonderful_, here the black haired wonder comes.

"So you've decided to awaken?" Blaise drawled out. "Pity, I was hoping that last blow to the head would have done you in. Though we feel a strange fondness of you, or just you're body?" he said, giving me a slimy once over. "We could deal without having a Maximum Ride wannabe standing in our way."

"You didn't seem to mind that when you were trying to suck my face off," I spat out, feeling my rage build up. I had never tongue kissed him, but I'd be darned if he didn't try. (I just ignored this as his now-a-days behaviors. Because, well people are weird now.)

"Is that an invitation?" He grinned wickedly, nothing like the charming one that made my heart speed up. He leaned close to the bars in front of me.

Before I could stop it, a strangled sound escapes my throat, and to make it worse I had been trying to back into the wall. In other words, I was showing fear, just what they wanted.

I wasn't able to use my powers. Insert a view of me trying not to sob. I've _never _not had someone, or their thoughts, to be with me. It felt cold, and lonely. Almost like when the shadows used to reject me. Almost like when that blonde's mind rejected me. _Just _like when Nico rejected me.

This, however, did not effect how I know they want me to feel fear. I just used some basic knowledge. Monsters like fear. Fear makes monsters happy. People who break your heart and then break your wings are monsters. Connecting the dots?

I must have satisfied that hunger for fear because he laughed and backed away. He looked at the blonde- man? Whatever he was, he needed some sun because he could rival Hades with skin like that.

"Blaise! I told you that you don't get to have 'fun' until we get the information from her !" he barked in a voice that made me want to grab Annie's, who hates my nick-name for her, knife and cut of my ears. I looked directly at him and noticed something that sent chills down my back.

It's _him_. He's the one Percy, Annabeth, and even Chiron had warned me about. It's Luke Castellan. And he's not happy. I think he might just melt Blaise's skin with that look. He instead walked towards me and gave me a look so full of hatred, and sadness? I think _I _might just melt.

"So, you're the gods little dress-up doll? Not so tough, are we?" he spat and began circling our cage. He gave it a vicious kick that rattled my teeth.

"Wonder if you're still their favorite? I was Hermes once-shortly, and poor Percy _thought_ he was Poseidon's favorite, but you already had him wrapped around his finger before he was even born. Let's not stop there, shall we? Aphrodite gave you so many gifts I can't even name them all, you're Hera's only bloody daughter who can have a family, Apollo thinks you're his soul mate-unbelievably creepy-, Zeus shows you off so much I think even Artemis is getting fed up, you're Hades' only daughter left-and an heir to his throne, the only ones who aren't obsessed are Hephaestus and Athena!" he ranted on and on.

Nothing I hadn't heard before. I have had countless campers come to me, when I was busy or alone, and yell to me about how their parents didn't love them anymore. Even Nico sai- ouch. That's a wound that need to stay untouched.

Anyway, I was still not surprised. He noticed this and looked only a bit frazzled.

"Princess of countless thrones doesn't care about others feelings? Makes sense. Considering the fact the only people you love, Nico-I try hard not to flinch-, Percy, Tyson, Sally, Annabeth, and _Bianca, _have all abandoned you. They don't care about you so you don't care about them," he said tauntingly and I fell right into his trap.

"The only one who abandoned me was Nico!" I shrieked. I knew it, and trust me I knew that was stupid. Never shriek at your captor, kids. It makes them mad, spit in your cell, and glare.

"You will not yell at me," he said deathly calm, and walked over to some kind of computer, or whatever they are now, and dialed buttons In a rhythm. Hmmm. _left right, u down, up left, left left, right down. _When he's done with that, a few bars on the cell sprung up and he walked in. He reached down and -faster than even I could- slapped me. The crack of it echoed through the whatever-were-in and I gave a pitiful cry of pain. He gave a twisted smirk and motioned for Blaise to close the bars.

They left and I started to cry, completely forgetting about the weird girl across from me.

"Hey, princess! Ya mind not flooding my cell with tears?" she said in a dull monotone.

If I was able to use my powers, I wouldn't have felt scared. I would have felt equal, and that we were the same. But I didn't. I wasn't even able to use my Poseidon powers. I felt weak and helpless. So all I did was glare and wrap my dingy-bent-and-broken wings around my arms. It was all the warmth I had and I felt small and frail. But before I could feel any more self-pity, the weird one interrupted my thoughts.

"Stop," she said. "You don't get to feel pity in front of Nova. I was here first and I will make the rules. Plus you don't have a darned thing to feel sorry about. You have many more powers than me and you _still_ got captured. It's not my fault."

"Excuse me? I have so many problems I deserve to wallow in self-pity for the next five centuries. You might think that a daughter of the gods would have a perfect life, but I have told everyone, it is _hell_. But I get up every day; train my feathers off, for _you. _I get up and push myself aside, so I can one day save your sorry self," I grinded out and felt my feathers, literally, ruffling.

"Whatever. I won't and can't feel sorry for you. So have a pity party, just leave me alone so I can sleep," she said, barley moving her mouth.

"Can't?" I said before I could stop myself.

"Yeah. Can't. I'd tell you a sob story about how I was cursed to never feel emotions and had to watch my mother die, but even though I can't feel your pity or doubt. I don't want it," she said.

"I would tell you a sob story of how a cursed/blessed winged child lost both her mothers and her sister, was kidnapped, and had her brother/first love abandon her, and then be betrayed by her boyfriend and end up here," I said dully picking at my feathers.

"Brother?" she questioned just as dully. I almost smiled.

"Well not by blood or god DNA, but we grew up together. Shared our first words, first punishments, first lie, first birthday, first kiss." I whispered the last part so quietly I thought she couldn't hear.

"Uh. Well that is not how I pictured your life's story. I thought it would be 'I was so popular, and everyone loved me, even with my wings. Then I grew up and was offered a model deal, but had to refuse because my daddy wanted me to save the world,'" she said and I let out a small chuckle.

"Well I thought yours would be 'I lived in a big mansion with my mummy and daddy, but then I had powers and they sent me to a nasty camp, where they don't give me everything I want.'" I said and laughed.

And that was it. We talked and fought, compared stories and became friends. What did we have to lose? The only way the other could tell our secrets was if we got out. And then we each hold the others secrets so that was out of the question.

But don't sit back and relax. It was still a never ending torture. They beat us, took turns, made a game of it. They would make us take these weird sleeping pills after it and we would be out for Hades knows how long. They would rant of to us about subjects that were taboo. No one but me and Nico were allowed to talk about Bianca. No one. No one was allowed to talk about Nico leaving me. They also talked about Nova's mother, how she died and asked her if it was gory. And when they were feeling really vicious they would make the other watch as one of us got beaten.

Nova never said anything though, but I knew if she could feel, she would feel just like me.

Despaired. Hopeless. Sad. Worn. At times furious. And lastly _broken._

But what I didn't know was that somewhere about thirty miles way someone was feeling the exact same way.

That someone was Mr. Nico Di Angelo.

***A/N: Obviously I didn't get 9 reviews, but I said what the heck? I know someone out there likes my story and wants me to update or UPDATE as they put it. The next chapter is going to be in Nico's pov. It's going to be interesting. Trust me, the ending is going to induce some reviews. Muwahahahahah! Here's a little taste of it :

_Everyone around us was fighting. I could here yells of pain, and cries of victory_

_And she was broken. Crying. Most of her bones and both wings were bent at such an angle I thought I was going to be sick. Her skin was paler then Hades, her eyes were sunken in and her cheeks were hollow. But not as hollow as her eyes were. _

_But it didn't matter. None of it did. _

_Because when i dropped to my knees sitting in front of me was the one I loved. My Anima Gemella. _

_My Raenyx._

_And before I could stop myself-before _she_ could stop me- I ************************************************************************_

Aren't I so mean ? Bye!


	15. My Savior Part One

***Nico's pov***

Now, my search for Raenyx wasn't going well. The Labyrinth was impossible to navigate. Just when we thought we were going the right way, we ended up with a dead end or in a trap. By the way the 'we' was Annabeth and I. She came back to camp alone. Grover and Tyson had gone off on a separate path to find the lost god Pan. Percy apparently was missing. Annabeth wasn't too open to talking about it. I knew she cared for Raenyx, but she had only agreed to get out of her cabin to be distracted.

Annabeth was the only one who wanted to come with me. The other campers were a little hesitant. Most of them were jealous of her and would rather see her gone. They didn't care all that much about her, but really it was ignorance. They didn't know why she was so important.

I wanted to find Raenyx because I knew that was what Bianca would want me to do. She would rescue Raenyx and so would I. At least that's what I had told Chiron . A small part of me said that Raenyx would still be disappointed in me, still hate me. And it's all because I hadn't been able to control my emotions that one day. If I hadn't wal-ran away, and hid -if I had just _told_ her how I felt- _she _would still be here.

***3 weeks ago***

_Raenyx had just kissed that _stupid _Apollo kid. I couldn't believe, it! First she went and flirted with him in public, and then _kissed _him, and then sauntered of like it was - _no big deal. _I heard my 'conscience' tell me that it was _no big deal, _it repeated. _You _left _her _over some petty grudge. Your best friend, sister, first- was she looking at me? She seemed to be focused on something else, but when I looked up, she noticed me. She looked at me and gave me a- pained?- look. I quickly looked away, feeling hurt and-and unloved. I glanced back up and she was gone. _

-If I had known that would be the last time I saw her, I would have confessed right then. But I didn't instead I-

_Running. Running- dodge that tree. Those were the only thoughts I could process as I ran into the forest. I didn't get to think of that ache in my chest, that feeling of doom, only running. I had no actual goal. I just wanted to get as far away from them as I could._

_I finally collapsed at the base of tree and let out a scream of rage. I kind of felt like I was disconnected and just watching as I beat the tree._ _An olive toned arm punched while a jeaned leg kicks, and tears leaked from seemingly black eyes. _

***Present***

"Nico!" Annabeth shouted, successfully snapping me out of my- what was that? It didn't matter. She was running at me with a big smile. Considering that Percy was gone and the situation that we were in, I decided that this meant she had good news.

"She's over here!" she said. "We found her

That was a good cause for her excitement. It also meant that Raenyx wasn't dead. That was amazing. I finally felt like that weight on my shoulders-and in my heart- was starting to disappear.

"Where?" I said and ran over to her, closing the distance between us.

She pointed back from the way she came. "It's over here," she said. "Follow me."

We ran back the way we seemingly came, but in the Labyrinth you can't truly backtrack your steps. The maze is always shifting. We passed by what looked like jail cell. This was a perfect place to keep Raenyx.

"What is this place?" I asked.

"Alcatraz," she said. "The Titans keep some of their prisoners here, but we have to be careful and quiet. A very mean and powerful monster is the jailor."

"Do I want to know?"

Annabeth shrugged. "Probably not. Come on, I'll show you."

We slowed down to a stalking crawl. Our feet were silent as they touched the ground. I was careful to where I placed my feet. The slightest movement of a stone on the ground could probably trigger a reaction. Monsters could be lurking anywhere, hiding the shadows just waiting to pounce on us. My heart was racing the entire time. I needed to believe Annabeth. I needed to believe that Raenyx was still alive. She was the only family I had left. She couldn't leave me. I needed her. No matter what passed between us, I was knew that she would both make it out alive. No matter what it cost me.

***Raenyx's pov***

The air around me was tense. You could probably cut through it with Kai. Monsters were roaming everywhere, passing by the cells that Nova and I were in. Something was happening. Something big, like all Hades was about to break loose. Even Luke had to leave to 'acquire his true form' apparently. Since everyone was busy with their own duties, I decided to see if I could bust the lock on the cell door and get out of here. It would probably be my only shot at escape.

I shifted over, biting my tongue to keep in the whimpers that were caused by my pain. Both of my wings were now broken and useless, one arm was certainly fractured, and one leg was broken and crudely placed in a splint. If I didn't get real medical treatment soon, the leg would surely heal crooked or I would lose it from gangrene.

I reached up with my one good arm and felt around the lock of the cell door. I needed something to pick it and unlock it. It I had a hair pin then yeah I could probably make it work with enough time. I looked around the cell for something I could use as a pin.

After a few minutes of searching for something I could use, I realized there was nothing I could use. There was nothing in the cell except me and my chains. There was no hope of escape. I sunk against the ground.

Just as I was about to close my eyes, I heard the familiar sound of keys jingling. I looked up and saw Blaise. "What do you want?" I asked weakly. This time I was too tired to put any venom in those words.

"I-I'm going to set you free," he said, sounding a little rushed. He flipped through the keys and inserted one into my cell door, unlocking it. He held out his hand for me. I didn't take it.

"Is this another form of torture?" I asked. "Trying to feed me false hope so you can see my dreams dashed upon the rocks again?"

Blaise crouched down on his knees. The grime from the floor would surely stain his pants. "I've done a lot of horrible things since I met Luke," he said softly. He sounded regretful. "But that stops now," he added. "I'm going to get you out of here."

The words sounded too good to be true. I couldn't let myself believe him. I just couldn't. It would hurt me way too much.

"No," I whispered. "Get out of here. I don't need your help."

"Yes, you do. I can help you get out of here. We can escape together. I'll make it up to you. I promise."

I didn't notice the tears dripping down my cheeks and forming small pools on the floor below. I just couldn't feel anything anymore. I was too tired to try and argue. Maybe this was what Nova felt like all the time.

"Leave, Blaise," I said.

"I know you don't believe me," he said. "I've hurt you so bad, but I can make it up now. I'm letting you guys loose. And I'm going to help you get out."

"But Luke-" I tried to say but he cut me off.

"He doesn't matter anymore," he explained. "I know what is going to happen. But I can't help it. I've hurt you guys so bad. I didn't even think about the things I was doing. I was just jealous and that doesn't excuse what I did. I'm sorry. I woke up today and I can't explain it, but I know now that what I did was wrong."

He was sorry? Words could not explain how mad I was. He had beaten me everyday for Hades knows how long, and he was _sorry_? He kidnapped me and toyed with my heart and he was _sorry? _I couldn't get it through my head. How could he be sorry? He had told me things about my family and friends that made me want to cry and just give up. How could he be sorry?

"IM FREAKING SORRY! I'm sorry you're a jerk, I'm sorry nobody freaking loves you, I'm sorry you're a sociopath! But does that change a thing? NO! You're still an evil, vile, disgusting low-life creature, aren't you?!" I screeched loudly, feeling like someone had sent my heart on hyper-drive.

He just stood there, looking broken and like he _meant _what he said. But I honestly didn't care. I didn't even care anymore about anything. I just wanted Luke to get here, kill Blaise, and give me and Nova our beatings. Not because I wanted us to be hurt, maybe Blaise, but I just wanted it to end. I wanted to pass out and get a few hours of dreamless bliss. Was that too much to ask for?

And look, what else could I do? I couldn't use my powers, 80% of my body was broken, and I was tired. Tired of fighting, tired of trying, _tired of hoping._

That's the last thought I had before something amazing happened. Something so incredibly unbelievable, I should have expected it.

Something that involved Nico.

***Nico's pov***

Monsters were crawling all over the place. We had to duck and hide several times while trying to get to Raenyx's cell. The monsters seemed to be preparing for something. All of them were strapping on armor and sharpening their weapons. They were preparing for a battle. I looked to Annabeth. She had the same thought as me. They were preparing to attack Camp Half-Blood.

I was tempted to call upon my own army of the dead, but I knew that would only make things worse. I had to conserve me energy because who would know what would happen around here.

Once the monsters had passed by us, Annabeth gave me a slight nod. It was time to move on. _Here we come, Raenyx, _I thought. _We're finally here._


	16. The Benifts of Sea Glass and Gold

My Savior, Part 2

***Nico's Pov***

We ran to Raenyx's cell, the minute the monsters passed and-

Di immortals! She was … Not Raenyx_. _That girl _couldn't _be Raenyx! The girl's, _not _Raenyx, wings were bent at such an angle I was sure I would be sick, her skin was sickly pale , Her golden-black hair was stringy and limp, and I promise I could count her ribs if I tried. Raenyx was tan, with caramel skin, long bouncy curls! She had always been skinny, but she was _never_ like this. Annabeth let out a small scream, I don't think she even knew it, and said "_Raenyx, no_." No, No, NO! She could not be Raenyx... But somehow, I knew she was. This poor, suffering, broken girl, was my Raenyx.

But she is still the most beautiful girl I 'd ever seen, the little voice in the back of my head reminded me. It was true. Isn't it odd how, even covered in filthy, torn clothes and damaged, the person you love still manages to be the most gorgeous girl in the world? I didn't have time to think about that, even if I was capable of really processing it. As I looked at her, her chest didn't seem to rise and her eyes were closed.. No! _No, she can't be-!_

And suddenly her eyes flew open and - I made a choked noise in the back of my throat, and fell to my knees.

Somewhere Annabeth had opened the cage, and was fighting the Vile creature that did this to my Raenyx. Later on, I'll think of how I should have helped her, but then I was in a completely different world. I crawl over to her and just kneel there looking at her eyes. What had they done to her? Part of me was so happy she was alive I could barley breathe, but the other part- The part that seemed to be winning, was breathing rapidly and almost raggedly. I couldn't tell if I was full of rage or sincere sadness.

Her eyes had once held all the power of the ocean, showed her emotions, and had shimmered with unadulterated love and mirth, if you were lucky enough to be close with her. They were gorgeous, ethereal sea green with small amount of gold here and there if you looked hard enough. Now they were so, so, _so _fragile…Like sea glass. My Anima gemella's powerful sea colored eyes had become broken, brittle sea glass… And I couldn't believe it.

She was here, yet she was gone. She had always been tough, she handled training with the gods, losing her-_our_- sister, living on the streets, and having to deal with my petty grudges, with out a single complaint, giving her all to show she was _worthy. _Worthy of what I don't know. But now after only three months of living -if you could call it that- with these cretins, she was_ gone. _She just stared blankly, I think she saw me, but I wasn't sure. She was barley breathing, not moving and I wouldn't believe this was the real Raenyx. If it weren't for how long I had known her, I would've thought this was some poor, poor, stranger. I shook my head, trying to think.

If there was one thing in the world I wanted now, it would be a chance to bring her back. Back to her normal, her _real _self….. Starting with her eyes. I _have _to fix them, I just don't know how. I saw her searching my eyes with a emotion flickering through, that I couldn't place. But I didn't care! She was finally acknowledging me, and her eyes finally had emotion in them! I couldn't help a shaky grin, however small. And then suddenly it hit me, what that emotion was.

That's how ill fix them.

I'll just kiss her. My practically-a-sister, best friend, and-and, yeah ill throw the word out there, my _love._

***Raenyx's Pov***

He was the first thing I saw, when I woke up. Him and his eyes. Eyes I thought I knew the color of by now, growing up seeing, but could never really figure out.

When we were younger and still lived in the hotel, his eyes were a joyful, warm hazel. Olive green with bits of amber and light brown.

When we met again they were a dark, cold and unfamiliar black eyes. Which never made sense.

But now, with him so close, I could tell that I was_ wrong. _So completely wrong.

His eyes were dark, happy, grieving, haunting, beautiful, and _loving. _

The grief and darkness was there in the small black flecks, the happiness was in the ring of brown around his pupil', the background of this beautiful master piece was a haunting olive green and if you looked close enough, the love was in the gold streaks.

I wanted, no, _needed _to know if the love was there for me. I had to get closer to the gold

Just how, how exactly would I get closer? He smiled and, I saw his lips-and eyes- getting closer to me and I knew how.

I'll just kiss him. I needed kiss my practically-a-brother, best friend, my-my _love _. I wanted to. And doesn't the hero always get what they want? _If you could call me a hero. _But I didn't care whether or not I was, because I _wanted, _to so badly that it became a necessity.

So I did.

Nico's lips -_finally- _touched mine, and I felt like a goddess.

All the power, life, and energy that had been drained out of me throughout the months, flooded my veins along with a new tingly warm feeling that was _very _welcome.

And I was no longer the freak, the perfect daughter if the gods, or the savior. I wasn't the lost little girl living on the streets. I wasn't Raenyx Redbird.

I was a demi goddess in love.

Nico's lips were silky and full, perfect. Electricity and tingles were running through my blood, and I could hardly think with all these foreign emotions. He tasted like green apples, a hint of cinnamon, oddly, a little like silver as well as something intoxicating, that must have been him. Was that why I could hardly think? His kiss was fierce and sure, skilled lips moving against mine, but gentle and safe all the same, like the slightest touch would break me.

It probably would.

The kiss was terrifyingly, gloriously, and yeah I'll say it, _magically, _perfect.

***Nico's Pov***

Wow.

Was my first thought as Raenyx smashed her lips to mine. My second thought was wondering how she managed to stir volcanoes it my stomach and lightning in my blood? Her lips were silky, and full despite being locked up here for months. The kiss made me feel tingly and a bit light headed, everything was alive and she tasted like strawberries, sea salt and something intoxicatingly delicious that must have been purely her. Her lips moved expertly, softly and we fit together like puzzle pieces. It was perfect, satisfying, glorious, _magic_.

I realized then that her lips were my happy place. With her kissing me I finally felt like I wasn't just the out cast, the ones who family died, the unloved son of Hades, those things matter at all.

I was just a demi-god in love.

Count any of that out, the pure and simple fact that I was kissing the girl of my dreams was enough to set of the rush of tingly warm, joy, and love through my veins.

Add in the fact that _she was kissing me back!- _And I was desirously happy. Nothing could make this day better. Finding my Raenyx and kissing her was definitely the best thing in my life.

I was so happy, and completely off guard, that when someone snuck up behind us with an intention to kill, I didn't even notice.

A/N : Cliff hanger!


	17. My Savior Finally

A cold snarl of a voice snapped us out of our trance.

For more than three months I had felt nothing but fear and pain; saw nothing but gray and the occasional blood red. But now I could feel _everything _and see every little detail. Like I could see that Luke was just a scared kid, and beneath the hatred in his voice there was a slight quake of fear. He was _scared_ of me. And he should be.

I rose from the ground, relying on pure adrenalin not to fall down again. Now that I had my powers back I could see how Luke practically oozed blue and grey. I could see Annabeth had pink, orange, white, green, and gold. Nico's aura was beautiful. Yeah there were some flecks of grey, but there was also a blinding pink, streaks of green, gold, and some lovely white. Annabeth had lines of deep purple connecting her to Nico and me, and-and Luke? That made little sense to me, but it was hardly where my thoughts were focused. Between Nico and me, we had a glorious gold and silver line connecting us. could I have asked for more?

All around me the shadows danced and writhed restlessly. "_Princess has awakened."_ They slithered out. Their words were no longer laced with bitterness and hatred, but with kindness and respect. I felt like a I could burst with happiness. All my senses and powers were alive, and I felt ready. Ready to show Luke just what a daughter of the gods could do.

"Hi, Luke," I said innocently. "Come for a fight?"

Luke saunters his way towards me, his sword swinging in his hand. "Hi, Raenyx. Finally decided to get of your pathetic a-"

Nico interrupted. "I'd say hi and pretend I like you, but I'm not the best actor in the world. But I will tell you that if you even think about insulting Raenyx, I'll send an army of the dead after you. Oh and in case you didn't know, they don't take kindly to people messing with their royalty." He stepped in front of me.

"Overprotective jerk," I mouthed.

_But I'm _your_ overprotective jerk. _He said in his mind, sending warmth to my stomach. Somehow I forgot where we were and began to laugh and laugh. It felt good to laugh again.

"Okay. I've had enough," I said, snapping out of my stupor and lunged at Luke. -I wasn't going to let my anger slip away, and allow him the upper hand.- I took him by surprise, and he stumbled a bit before quickly regaining his balance. I looked over to Nico, shooting him one glance before yelling, "Do something and slice a monster!"

"What are you going to do?" Luke asked, smiling like a mad man. "Look at my aura until I die? I have your sword. You're lucky Nico kissed you or you wouldn't even be able to do that. With the whole 'True loves kiss' curse I put on this place, I just didn't think anyone would love a bird freak like you. Even Hades kid.." I tried to wipe the smirk off his face with my fist, but he dodged it easily. He might be stronger, but being smaller and growing up in the alley ways around the country made me tough with quick reflexes. I was able to land a few decent hits.

"No," I snarled. "I plan on punching and kicking you until Nova strangles you."

Luke gave me a confused look as I pulled away from him. I shoved him towards Nova. She was still locked in her cage, but that didn't stop her from reaching out and yanking him against the bars. His head connected with them, and he fell to the ground. Nova frisked him for his keys while he was obviously clearing the stars from his vision. By the time he stood, Nova had already gotten herself out. And she was seeking revenge. Yes, Luke appeared to have the upper hand since he had a sword. But Nova? The girl couldn't feel anything, including fear.

I was about to charge Luke when some monsters appeared. Clearly someone had alerted the jailbreak, and they were sent to solve the situation. Nova broke away from Luke and disappeared into the shadows. She distracted a few of the monsters which gave me enough time to form a plan. I sent her a thought saying 'help?' She thought 'sure' as she sliced the empousai in half with its own weapon. I told her I'd lead Luke to her if she'd finish off the rest. She agreed.

I ran for Blaise, who was locked in a fierce battle with an odd looking monster. I focused on a barely-there feeling in my stomach and snapped my fingers. Immediately a bright burst of red flames engulfed my fingertips. I pointed directly at the monster and told Blaise to move. He jumped out of the way as a stream of flames engulfed the monster.

"Since I saved your life you owe me one- no- _two_ for not ending your life as well," I said and held out my hand. "Give me Kai."

Blaise had the good sense to do as I said. Less than a minute later he came scrabbling back with my stygian iron with a handle of sapphires and white seashells sword. It was to represent the Big Three. I wondered, though, why was it that Hades was represented the most withy 'his' metal being the sword? But before I could wonder about this too much, I felt something creeping up behind me.

I whirled around my sword raised, ready to decapitate the creature that, surely, had come to kill me.

"This is what I get for coming to help you?" Annabeth squeaked out. My heart leaped at the sight of my friend. I nearly knocked her to the ground when I tackled her in a fierce hug.

"Annie!" I shrieked. "I haven't seen you in forever!" There goes all my dignity. She laughed and hugged me back just as tightly, but our happy reunion didn't last long.

***Third Person Pov***

The happy reunion was sadly interrupted. The daughter of the gods was struck from behind. Her eyes went wide as a sword pierced her side. A scaly fist landed a hit on her cheek. She fell to the ground. Before the empousai could finish her off, the monster exploded in a puff of yellow dust by a lanky son of Hades. Annabeth wielded her knife bravely as she drove off the advancing hoards of monsters.

"Stay with me, Raenyx," Nico muttered as he placed his hands on the wound in her back. Red blood decorated his fingers.

"Mind if I use this?"

Nico looked up and saw the daughter of Thanatos holding his sword. A dark look in her eyes said she wanted to use it and use it well. He nodded.

Nova took the sword and defended her fallen friend and Nico. Together she and Annabeth managed to frighten away what was left of the monsters. During that time Luke had also disappeared, but his sidekick Blaise did not. Nova disarmed him and prepared to kill him, but Raenyx stopped her before she could bring down Nico's sword.

"Don't," she croaked. "Don't kill him."

Nova said nothing, but took the sword away from Blaise's throat. She began to walk around the prison, looking for any hiding monsters.

The three demigods crowded around Raenyx. Blaise stood a few feet away, ashamed of what he had done to her. Deep down he liked her. He wasn't supposed to fall for her since it would only make his mission harder, but he couldn't. She could've killed him many times by now, but she didn't. He didn't understand why. He had hurt her, broken her heart, broken her body, nearly breaking her soul. He was indebted to her, and it hurt him that she almost died because of his actions.

"We have to get her out of here," Annabeth said, wiping her knife on her pant leg. "Luke's army will return. There's no doubt about that."

"And where will we go?" asked Nico. "She won't make it anywhere. She's losing too much blood."

Annabeth looked to Blaise. Her grey eyes were dark and vengeful. "Where do you keep the nectar and ambrosia? There has to be some around here."

Blaise shook his head. "There's none around here. It would be on the ship, but even if I leave to get some, she won't make it. We'll have to leave."

Annabeth strode towards him with her knife in a tight grip. "And how can I trust you, Blaise? You don't have a very convincing track record."

Blaise sighed. He looked down at Raenyx. Her skin was pale and sickly. He had been a part of this. It was his fault that she was near death. And there wasn't anything he could do about it.

"I'm telling the truth," he said. "I want to help her just as much as you do. Believe me. I do. We can try and save her by getting her out of here. Maybe one of the death children can shadow travel her back to camp. That's her best option for survival right now."

"Annabeth," Raenyx whispered.

Annabeth looked down at the sickly teen, but she didn't let down her guard. "What is it, Raenyx?"

"He's telling… the truth," she said. Her breathing was shallow and labored. Nico applied more pressure to her wound. She gasped and winced. "We need to… leave."

Annabeth turned her attention back to Blaise. She sheathed her knife. "Do you know of a shortcut to get us out of here?"

Blaise nodded eagerly. "This way," he said and began to walk briskly down the corridor.

Nico and Annabeth bound a strip of cloth around Raenyx to stem the flow of blood. When she was as stable as could be, Nico lifted her up in his arms and carried her down the way Blaise was leading them. She felt so light in his arms. It felt so wrong.

"Let's go," Nico said. "Nova, let's go!"

Nova appeared by his side, still hanging onto his sword. He was worried for a moment that the girl might not give it back to him. But he realized that it was the least of his worries. He had to focus on getting her back to camp. Only there could Raenyx have a chance of survival.

Nova kept ahead of them. She caught up with Blaise. Her dark eyes looked in the dark corners of this jail for any lurking monsters. "Why can't we just shadow travel out of here?" she asked. "There are shadows everywhere."

"It won't work," he said. "There's a spell covering this entire place. It's kind of like the spell that drained your powers when you were in the cell. Sorry about that, by the way."

Nova shrugged it off.

"This spell is a little bit weaker, though. It only affects forms of travel, so if you guys ever escaped we would be able to find you very easily." He looked to her again. "I'm really, really sorry about it."

"Don't be," she said. "It's not like I care all the much. Just traded one hell for another. Kind of like a vacation."

Blaise assumed that this was Nova's attempt at humor. A very dark humor, but she was trying. "Could you tell Raenyx that I'm sorry?" He looked around a corner. His stomach churned. Monsters were prowling everywhere. He had to get them out. "I didn't know that this would happen. I didn't know that it would be this bad."

Nova nodded. "I can. Where's the exit?"

Blaise pointed down the monster infested corridor. "Down that way, first right. You'll get out into the courtyard through there. Once you're through the front gate, you should be able to shadow travel back to camp. I'll distract the monsters to give you a head start."

Nova looked at him. The son of Apollo was a brave one. There was no doubt about that. This would be his final moment. This final act would grant him Elysium. He would die a hero. And the interesting thing was that he didn't appear scared. Blaise was admirable.

"Sounds like a plan," she said and looked back to see where the other demigods were. "I'll tell Raenyx. See you on the other side, Blaise."

Blaise managed a smile. "Before I… go, can you do something for me?"

Nova blinked. She didn't know where this was going. "Sure."

"Look in a mirror some time," he said. "You just may find what you're looking for." He drew his sword and ran head on into the hoard of monsters. He drew them away from the corridor, leaving it empty.

"This way," Nova said and lead Nico and Annabeth down to the exit. She heard Nico continuously mumble words of encouragement to Raenyx, trying to keep her awake.

When they reached the courtyard, Nova stopped dead in her tracks. The sun blinded her. After being stuck in the darkness for weeks, the sun no longer agreed with her. She cursed Apollo's name.

"Come on," Annabeth said and pulled Nova along by her hand. They were almost out of the prison.

They passed through the gate and were now able to escape. Nico shadow traveled first. Nova dared to lower her hand from her eyes to find a shadow to use. She didn't know whether or not to go back to camp. She didn't really want to, but she promised Blaise that she would tell Raenyx that he was sorry. She took Annabeth to a shadow and was enveloped in familiar darkness.

They tumbled out of the shadow created by Thalia's pine tree. The dragon Peleus looked up from where he was resting, but didn't growl. He simply went back to sleep.

Annabeth and Nova made their way to where Nico was. He seemed distressed.

"Raenyx, wake up," he said. Nova could hear the stress in his voice.

Raenyx was on the ground, pale and barely breathing. Her eyes were closed She had passed out from the pain.

"What's wrong?" Nova asked.

Nico didn't seem to hear her. "Raenyx, please. Don't go away."

"I'll go get some healers," Annabeth said and raced down the hill to the Big House.

"She still has a chance," Nova said. "Pick her up."

Nico looked up at her. "What do you mean?"

"She's not going to die. Pick her up and carry her to the Big House."

Nico listened to her and picked Raenyx up. The girl didn't even stir. Nico began to carry her down the hill. She just had to live. She had to. She had to.


	18. It just might take a while

***Raenyx's Pov***

Pain. Darkness. I was lost in an inky blackness that left me feeling small and lost. My side felt like someone was holding a flame to it, and my head was pounding. I just wanted to go to sleep. The darkness was so inviting, and I knew that if I gave in I wouldn't hurt anymore. I had been here for days. Half awake, half asleep. Groggy voices coming in and out. Whispered apologies, heartfelt speeches, the latter were few and far in between, but were still very special. But I expected the last ones, just because you get hurt doesn't mean everyone automatically loves you.

But there was this one voice. A deep, familiar voice, that I knew was Nico. It kept whispering "Stay awake, for me,", "I need you," and even, "I love you." I wanted to stay awake for him. And I tried to, really I did! But I was _so_ tired…

***Third person pov.***

An immensely beautiful woman was standing in a flowery field. The field, or meadow, was full of flowers that should be out of season but were somehow still growing beautifully. They shone and danced in the wind. Beautiful and vibrant, but they couldn't compare to the woman. Around her neck shined a golden locket that was beautifully engraved, and on her wrist she wore a simple silver charm bracelet with many ornate charms, but again they couldn't hold a candle to the woman.

She had silky, thick, curly hair that couldn't decide if it was golden or black. It shined and fell down her slim back. She was tall and graceful. She was only standing, but her presence demanded attention. Her smile was framed by full deep pink lips, her teeth were perfectly white and straight, except for her canines that were extra pointed, and annoyed the woman very much. Her eyes were a startling sea green that shined against her tan skin. But if you looked closely at them and held her radiant stare, you'd notice something incredible. Her eyes went from startling sea green, to sapphire blue, to warm, light brown, to garnet grey, to gorgeous gold, and back again. Stunning. A pair of magnificent ivory wings with golden tips jutted from her back, marking her something other than an ordinary human. he had a most amazing tiara sat upon her princess curls. It was made of pure gold, thin weaving vines of the substance forming the frame and build. Gems were all along it, small, gorgeous opals of electric blue, blazing green and roaring red formed a mystical pattern. In the middle sat a smooth, circular, pure black onyx, circled by alternating rubies, emeralds, and sapphires.

She was a goddess with royal blood flowing through her veins.

The queen— or princess as most _still _called her— was wearing a dress that was made of a light silk and lace materiel that gathered at her knees and glowed in the sunlight. It was pure white and molded to her curves in a way that was both alluring and tasteful. She wasn't a teenager anymore! But, yet, she wasn't an adult quit yet. She couldn't have been more than twenty by appearance, but one look at the two girls playing at her bare feet would tell you differently.

They were small and glorious. You could fall in love with just one look at the trio— how could you not with their musical laughter and beaming faces? The young girl in the light pink dress, made of the same flowing material as the woman's, was giggling and handing over white lilies to the goddess before her. She had long, curly cinnamon coloured hair with golden highlights, wide sea coloured eyes with swirls of gold and tan skin just like the goddess's. She— don't you wish you knew her name?— had an innocent grin on her face that showed her dimples as she turned to get a deep red poppy, but you could tell she was mischievous by the way she raised her eyebrows to the girl next to her. And she couldn't have been more than five! Imagine what kind of mischief she'd get into when she's older!

The equally as young and glorious girl in the _dark _pink dress, made of the same material as the others, had just as long and curly hair, though hers was distinctly black, yet still had golden undertones. Her curls were bouncing as she reached a light pink daisy to accompany her bright yellow tulip, so she could place them besides the goddess's feet just like the former. She was quite proud of her selection, and you could tell if you looked in her wide eyes. _Her_ wide eyes were a lovely deep brown with swirls of gold; her skin was just a bit paler than her sisters, though they had the exact same dimples. Her smile was innocent, and her eyes sparkled with, not mischief, but knowledge. She knew she was going to be dragged into her best friend's scheme regardless of how young she was. That's just how best friends work.

And don't forget that not only were they best friends, they were also twins! Identical to be precise. In fact, other than their colouring differences, they looked exactly the same. The same childishly round cheeks, eye curve, full and pink lips (though the cinnamon haired jewel had lighter pink lips), straight, tiny, white teeth, small and adorable nose. They were both small, coming up to the goddess's hip, and both had the same small physique. You could tell they were going to be quite stunning when they grew up.

Though most of their friends and family couldn't agree on anything, they did agree to that. But as smart as the girls' family claimed to be, they had a hard time telling the twins apart. Thank Olympus for their eyes and hair colour difference! Even their voices were identical, and if you didn't know which had which hair or eye colour, you'd have no way of telling who was who. Well, if you don't take in to account their crowns. They each had tiaras just as the woman did, but the more mischievous jewel's tiara was golden with a large emerald in the middle surrounded by rubies and onyx. The more knowing jewel's crown was golden as well, but had a large onyx in the middle surrounded by rubies and emeralds. That's what showed them to be just as royal as the queen above them was. The wings jutting out of their back marked them as something just as extraordinary as the goddess above them. The blinding love they all felt marked them as mother and daughters.

That's right, the goddess above was the mother of those two precious jewels. One simply had to look at the beautiful trio to know that! They all have the same eye curve, lips, nose, face shape, and not to mention the fact that they have wings!

They happened to be playing in their favorite spot on Olympus. This was their mother's meadow, a gift for her coronation_s. _It was the perfect place to be, as it was immune to seasons, and all flowers grew peacefully together. It was a metaphor of her promise to unite all her realms of power and show them equality and rule them without prejudice but with love. They loved to spend any free time they had here, picking flowers, and, since the twins were _finally _old enough, to fly!

It was their only place to be able to shirk off on their regal duties and just have fun! And they did have as much fun as possible. They, mother and company, shrieked with laughter, skipped, ran, flew, picked flowers, and played with their powers. Because they could without being watched and judged, and that just made everything perfect!

As the trio played in the meadow there was only a few things, or people rather, that could make this moment perfect. And here they came!

A tall, handsome man appeared out of the shadows, and immediately the woman turned around. She grinned with glee and bounded towards him. He was just as gorgeous as the woman, but appeared more down to earth than the others. His hair was as thick as the females before him and blacker than night. His skin was tan just as all the others in the meadow, but just a pit paler, like the dark haired twin. His eyes were a hazel blend of deep brown, black, light brown, and beautiful gold. He was wearing a pure silk shirt that was as white as the goddess's wings, and long black pants. He, as the women, couldn't have been more than twenty, but was clearly wise beyond his appearance. He was standing with poise that came from years of expected to be a leader. He smiled with white teeth and full lips, but most importantly confidence. _That _came from years of _being _a leader. His stygian iron sword that sucked up the souls of the condemned faster than you could curse him showed you that he was just as royal as the goddess who was making her way to him. And if you were daft enough to not notice that, the half crown of gold and onyx could help you out. And no, he didn't have wings, but the fact that he had a sword forged in the Styx should clue you into the fact that he was a god.

"I missed you guys so much!" The goddess shrieked, finally jumping into the man's arms and squeezing him tightly. Guys meaning plural.

The god stepped aside so the woman could atta- _hug _the two three year olds behind the man. Wouldn't you if you hadn't seen your sons in six hours?

Just like their older sisters, they were identical twins. And further in same, they had different colouring. The boy wearing the dark blue silk shirt had tan skin like his Mum, wide sapphire blue eyes like his Mum, yet he had swirls of gold, happy grin and dimples, from both parents, and messy black hair just like his Da's.

The boy in the _light _blue shirt had slightly paler skin like his Da, wide, stormy grey eyes like his Mum, and golden swirls, a happy grin, dimples like both parents, and slightly curly blonde hair, the exact shade of his mums, but messy like his Da's. The two had the same childishly round cheeks, wide eyes, straight and white tiny teeth, dimples, grin, full lips (though the blue eyed jewel had lighter pink lips), small and cute nose, and were both just over two feet. They had wings just like their mother, leaving their father the only featherless family member. The children's features were split evenly between their parents and each were exceedingly beautiful, but then again weren't all gods and goddesses?

"There are my two princes! Mummy missed you so much! Are you alright?" The goddess stooped down and kissed her sons' cheeks. Her voice had a hint of an accent that let you know she was European— French, to be exact. She hoisted them onto her hips and ruffled their hair.

"Mum! We were with Da the whole time—" the one with blue eyes started.

"Yeah! You knew that, silly mum," the grey eyed prince finished.

"Yeah, silly. They were with me! Nothing wrong could happen with me there. Monsters are too scared to come near me. Right boys?" the man said with a different accent , Italian, before kissing the woman's cheek.

"Ha-ha. At least your pretty crowns are alright! That's all I cared about anyways," the goddess said like she couldn't care less. She looked down at the twins' crowns.

The children didn't look sad. They just grinned and said, "Mummy! We're too old for that game now. We're three years old!" They giggled. This was their mother's favorite game. She loved to tease people.

"What do you mean game? I love your crown, Ambrose, golden with a sapphire in the middle, surrounded by rubies. Beautiful. But Dimitri's crown is golden with a stormy grey garnet in the middle surrounded by rubies… Hard to pick my favorite!" she said, giggling at the end. She was right, though. The crowns were beautiful. Half crown like their father's, and the bands were thin gold made to look like winding vines with leaves like the whole family's, and the gems were shining and gorgeous.

The father laughed and pulled his wife in for a hug.

"I missed you. Love you," he whispered into her hair.

"You were only gone for a bit, you big bébé (1)! I love you too," she said playfully.

The man grinned and went to his daughters. This was classic behavior for his family. He scooped the twins into his arms and twirled them around in the air before laughing and dropping them and letting them soar.

For any other children, that would have meant falling to the ground for sure. But let it be established that this was no ordinary family. The girls merely laughed and spread their wings. They appeared out of small incisions in the girls dresses, and were flapping laboriously. They were only beginners after all. Their pretty faces were scrunched in concentration, and this made their mother erupt in musical laughter. She spread her wings as well Her wings were, granted, much larger, but then again she _was _older and taller. She gracefully rose into the air with two strokes of her wings. The girls' wings were white as well, but the tips matched the colour of their hard. The boys who were not about to be left out fluttered clumsily into the air after their mother. Their wings were white like their mothers, but Ambrose's wings had black tips while Dimitri's had grey tips, like the colour of his eyes.

"Come on, Acaccia! You can do it Thaxaleia! Just like mum, okay? Up and down. That's it! Up and down." The goddess smiled as her daughters eventually began to balance out. She turned to her sons.

"Great job, boys! Just like your sisters, up and down. Not so fast, Ambrose, gently like Dimitri. There you go!"

The man was shaking his head, muttering about having a flock instead of a family. But the effect was lost by the wide simile on his face and playful tone that accompanied his voice.

"Mummy! Look at me and Ace. We're doing it!" Thaxaleia, the raven haired, called out.

"Look! 'Im going higher than Thalie!" Acaccia, Ace, giggled as she rose higher into the air. Thaxaleia, Thalie, had adorned a small scowl and not to be out done by her sister rose higher too. Their younger brothers didn't want to be left out, so they struggled to rise higher as well. Their mother was becoming worried. What if they fell?

She rose above her children with a speed so fast she was just a blur for a second, but then again she had years of practice. She rounded up her children who were all giggles and smiles, and couldn't help but grin back at them.

"Come on, guys!" the man called out. "You know you're Da can't fly! Let's go back, and we can all have a whole bunch of sugary, and unhealthy ice cream! Even you, bambola! (2)!" That was all the young feathered royals needed to hear, and they were on their feet faster than he had seen them in a long time. The children raced to their Da, each jabbering about their favorite flavor, hoping to get there first.

But not before their mother had already landed, and started going on about how it was _her _turn to choose what ice cream the others got! The man just smiled and kissed her cheek, promising she would get to choose. He then grabbed Thaxaleia's and Dimitri's out reaching hands. The goddess grabbed Acaccia's and Ambrose's, because they had to be in contact to shadow travel. And maybe, just maybe, the little ones were scared to do it alone. But this was the only way to the Underworld, and they did need to get home.

Most families didn't shadow travel to their palace in the Underworld, but didn't we establish that this wasn't your ordinary family?

***Nico's Pov***

She was going to make it. The Apollo campers were sure of that. But they didn't know when she was going to wake up. It could be hours, minutes, or days. We just had to wait. I felt like I was going crazy. I had just gotten her back, and now she was gone again. So I just sat there, holding her hand and thinking about anything other than the rage in me that made me want to hunt down anyone who had a hand in this. But my thoughts were spacey, and sometimes I lost track of them…

The huntresses visited and are still here, and I'm lucky I haven't had to deal with them yet. Thalia had barged in here just yesterday and demanded to be alone with Raenyx. I was shocked, and still weak, so she got the upper hand and forced me out. She stayed for about an hour, and I could faintly here her laughing and talking with- _to _Raenyx. I didn't know they were close, especially as close as they seemed… When she came out her mascara was smudged, and her eyes faintly red, when I stared her electric eyes dared me to say something. She left a simple silver bracelet, no card or anything, just the bracelet. It had Raenyx's name engraved on it. _To Raenyx. From the huntresses. _It was simple and gifted with care. Raenyx would love it. If— no— _when _she wakes up.

A lot of people had stopped by. At least ten or fifteen. Some to say sorry, some to visit who might have actually been kind to her. They usually left a card, the occasional flower, or even a stuffed animal was given. Annabeth, Tyson and even Grover had each left one. They knew she adored them. Annabeth's was fluffy and chocolate coloured and had big black, button eyes, white wings, but most importantly it was given out of love, you could just tell by the way she gently sat it down and made sure the tag was in place. Annabeth cared about Raenyx. And not just because she was Percy's sister, like I had first thought, but they were actually friends. And close friends at that. Annabeth even said she loved Raenyx once when she thought I wasn't here. Hmm. I knew Tyson cared about her, they were family. Tyson's bear was massive, honey coloured, and had a huge red bow around it. It had a crown on the top, because Tyson had said that his 'sissy' was a princess. She is. Grover's animal wasn't a bear; it was a mini Pegasus that looked just like Joey, Raenyx's Pegasus. I raised an eyebrow at him when he gave it to her

"Why'd you give her that?" I asked. My voice sounded dead, even to myself. I saw him wince and back away slightly.

"She was my friend too. She's the only person who knows how it feels to be more than human," he whispered looking pointedly at his hooves. I felt horrible, and slightly emberassed. _Of course he;s her friend! And of course she was important to him, they had a connection. She was like that... _I think as I sat there, watching him say goodbye and leave.

I had gotten her a gift, too. But mine wasn't a stuffed animal or a silver bracelet. It was a golden necklace, or locket. The chain was made to look like a slim vine crawling around your neck, and the actual locket was shaped like a heart. Raenyx always had a thing for nature. The inscription read '_ti amo, la mia fiori orchidea'(3). _Inside the locket, where you put pictures, I had Hephaestus charm it to where it would look like whatever she was thinking of at the moment.

The gods, at least the ones who are Raenyx's parents, had each visited. They didn't stay long and tried to make me leave, but I wasn't going to leave her alone with them. Poseidon had came and whispered by her side for about two hours before leaving small pink sea horse charm on her bedside table. He instructed me to clasp it to the silver bracelet next to her and then left.

Apollo came shortly after, said a really dinky poem, and left a mini golden sun charm. I could tell he did care, though. His blue eyes looked troubled, and he didn't even try to joke around.

Hera had come and clutched Raenyx to her chest looking like she was in intense pain, just seeing Raenyx like this. She whispered words of love and promises, and I felt like an intruder. Raenyx was Hera's only mortal child, and probably the last she'll ever get. She, Hera, probably hasn't been in a situation like this before. She left a tiny blue peacock feather charm.

Athena had come quickly, ordered Raenyx to be okay, and left a small silver owl. But before she left, and when she thought I wasn't looking, she kissed her forehead.

Hephaestus looked really awkward when he visited. He rushed forward, tapped her head like he didn't know what to do, and left a charm as well. I think he hand made it. He must care to take time away from his schedule, when he hardly had enough time to train her. It was tiny, and looked like real flames. I could see them dancing, but when I touched it, it didn't burn.

Aphrodite was next and had a very funny reaction to Raenyx. She marched over and pointedly brushed her hair, smoothing it and untangling her curls. She left a bag of beauty products, muttering about the importance of maintaining one's looks no matter what. She tried to be strong, but I could tell it hurt to see one of her daughters like this.

Raenyx was pale and looked sickly. She had lost a lot of weight since she had… left. They are giving her a medicine to keep her weight in check, as her weight was hardly healthy before she left. And she was covered in bruises, scratches. They couldn't do much for that. She was so small curled up in a ball on the bed, her wings wrapped around her. Aphrodite promised me that she wouldn't be scared, and left some creams for her to use. She said that as if that would take away some pain. I wouldn't care if she had a million scars. She was mine and she was beautifull.

Before the goddess of love left, she placed a small red heart besides the other charms. Next came someone who surprised me. It was Zeus and he genuinely looked a bit upset. He had said something about cleaning her feathers and going for a fly sometime. Just him and her. It would have been touching if he didn't include challenging her to a race. He left a charm that was larger than all the others, but still small enough to wear. It was two white wings with golden tips, like hers. On the back in writing so tiny, I could hardly see it, it read _to my favorite winged daughter. _She was his _only _winged daughter.

Lastly Hades came. He had looked just as fearful and unemotional as any other time I'd seen him, but something was different. His eyes were just a bit deader. Maybe he did care about his children. He whispered to her in a quiet voice that I couldn't hear and kissed her forehead. I nearly fell out of my chair. Hades just glared at me. He left a tiny charm just as everyone else, but his was so much more beautiful. It was a golden tiara; it looked like vines curled into a circle. In the middle was a small onyx stone, surrounded by miniscule, shiny, opals, onyx, rubies, sapphires, emeralds. It hardly fit the tip of my pinky, but it was still gorgeous.

I wished that she would wake up and see the gifts of those who cared the most about her. She'd only been out for twelve days, but it felt like twelve weeks. She kept muttering about 'jewels' and 'love' and 'beauty.' I hoped that's a good thing. She said many names as well. She had always been a sleep talker. She called for Thalia, Percy, Annabeth, Tyson, Grover; someone named Molly, even Mrs. Jackson, and Chiron, but mostly me. I'd be happy if this were any other situation. She even called for Bianca once. That hurt more than it probably should have.

I gave her a lot of flowers. I got her favorite. Fiori Orchidea, or Orchid flowers. She's practically obsessed with them! They represented love, beauty, and strength. Raenyx, when she was little, said she wanted to be a Fiori Orchidea when she grew up. She already is. She was always begging Bianca for money to get some at the gift shop, and when she got them, she would be so happy you just had to smile.

She'd always been like that. Happy I mean. So full of energy and wide smiles that you just had to get to know her. But she hadn't been that way since she got to camp. I guess we both changed. But I was going to make her happy again. But now she seemed icy, cold, hard. She's had to grow up to fast. Fourteen, and had been living on the street since she was 10 ! She used to be cuddly, but she's hardly ever within a foot of people. She used to be confident, but now she's shy. She used to run and jump like she just had to much energy to do anything else, but now she wears a frown and stays still.

I'd give anything to have the old Raenyx back, not that I wouldn't love her anyways. I just... I just wanted her to be happy. That's what made me happy. Gah! I sound like a son of Aphrodite! Stupid goddess of love, I mean beautiful inventor of Valentines Day!

I've always liked Valentines Day. Favorite holiday next to Christmas. I realized I liked Raenyx on Valentines Day. She was born close to that holiday. February fifteenth to be exact. Mine was just one month before hers, January fifteenth. Mine wasn't anywhere near a holiday. Bianca's was exactly 3 days after Christmas. Christmas... It's December 24th right now, and all I wanted was for Raenyx to wake up .

Maybe she would wake up today…..

***11:59 that night***

I'd given up hoping she would wake up today. I was content with her being healthy, healing, and just being asleep. At least she was here with me. I'd taken to listening to her talk. Just a second ago she was muttering about ice cream. Wonder what she's dreaming about? I bet it was something like—

"What's that?" I jumped out of my seat. I just heard something rumbling.

"Niki ? Why am I in a hospital bed?" A half delirious voice startled me.

She was awake. I'd know that voice miles away. I looked at her and felt tears rising in my eyes. Her eyes were half open and her mouth was still stringing out words, but I couldn't hear anything. I was just too happy. She was _finally _awake.

_Definitely_ the best Christmas gift. Ever.

"Everything's going to be okay." I said, smiling down at her. It was true.

Everything was going to be okay. Because, as I said, she was back. And I promised myself something, too. I _will _melt her icy exterior. She will get stronger, and come back to her usual loving, happy, playful self. And us Di Angelo's always keep our promises.

It just might take us a while.

1. Baby (French)

2. Doll

3. I love you my orchard flower.


	19. A Demi-Godly Christmas! Breaking

This is a five part chapter! I hope you like them as they key you in to many things you never knew about our heroine. Thanks for reading! Now be prepared, as this gets emotional. (Sorry for the too long wait!)

A Demi-Godly Christmas : Part 1 : Raenyx's Pov

"Oh, Raenyx, you have no idea how much I missed you! You were so sick, and then- Gods! I'm so happy you woke up!" Nico continuously rambled on in my ear. As soon as I had woken up I'd noticed the lad sitting by my bed, grinning like a mad man. I'm sure I was half delirious, as I heard him whisper, "It just might take us a while." I heard him promise me ice cream, which I still hadn't gotten, and then I felt myself wake up. Like, _really _wake up, my sight lost its blurriness, and everything sounded clearer. I felt as though I had woken up from the deepest sleep since sleeping beauty. I was a bit disoriented, but, golly, I felt amazing!

I could move without cringing, my sores and aces were gone, and even my bones were healed! I couldn't believe it when I kicked out my leg, and it moved freely, or when I flapped my wing and it moved every bit as graceful as I was taught. I felt like laughing and crying at the same time! Things were going so right that I really didn't know what to feel. So I did what I was best at, I put on my mask.

My mask shielded me from pain, emotions and judgment. It wasn't real, no. Just a face of indifference, and complete neutralism. Nothing going in and nothing coming out. When I was on the streets, I quickly learned that being chipper, loving, and happy got you nowhere. Cold, indifferent, and mean, _that _was the ticket.

I still felt, don't get me wrong. I just wasn't about to let anyone else know that. No. That just wasn't an option, right? I mean….. well, I wasn't on the streets anymore…..

"Raenyx! Didn't you hear me?" I heard a voice speak in lightning quick Italian. I almost grinned, Nico always knew me best. When I was zoned out, English just didn't work. And then suddenly, a thought occurred to me, and broke me out of my almost-stupor.

_Nico always knew me best. Nico always knew me best. Nico always knew me best. _When did know turn into knew? Somewhere in between me finding my mask, and he his? Or maybe, when we lost that piece of us that made us almost like twins? I didn't know, but I wanted that piece back. I wanted to break our masks — oh yes; Nico had one as well — and feel again. Nico had lost himself every bit as I had. He was no longer happy and vibrant, but solemn and hate-filled. It broke my heart. I was going to lead by action, and slowly break my mask. Why?

Because I wanted to fix him, and us Redbirds _always _get what we want. No matter what.

***Nico Pov***

She seemed to be deep in thought, and I knew better than to interrupt her. Suddenly she looked up and smiled a full mind blowing smile.

If you've never seen Raenyx smile, you seriously need to re-evaluate the meaning of your life. Her entire face lights up, her dimple pops out, her perfect pearly white teeth show (except for her one pointy canine, which she despises.), and yeah it's a bit lop sided, one side pulled a bit higher tan the other, but it just adds to her charm. Her sea coloured eyes sparkle, and then she laughs. A sound I had missed so much over the past four years. A high, tinkling sound full of mirth and just a hint of crazed recklessness that forces you to grin back. Which is exactly what I do. Maybe, she didn't need me to break her mask after all.

As soon as I finished this thought, I noticed something, and broke into a blush that could rival the colour of Apollo's sacred cows. She was only covered by the bandages the nurses had wrapped around her chest. She raised an eyebrow at me, a trick I desire, and said, "What's wrong Niki?" Her accent made me shiver a bit. I felt too flustered to speak so I just pointed at her…um predicament, and quickly brought my hand down.

"What- Ahhh! Why didn't you tell me?" She wrapped the bed sheets around her like a towel, and leapt out of the bed.

"Where's the restroom?" she demanded, her wild curls whipping around as she turned and spun, looking for the right door. As I pointed to my left, I felt like laughing, but knew better. I would like to keep my skin intact, thank you. She nodded and scampered off. I had no idea why. She had no clothes in there. . . . . . . . . .

***Raenyx Pov***

I was so stupid! I repeated over and over in my mind. What if he saw my scars? What if he thought I was ugly? Gah, I couldn't believe this! In the restroom there was a large floor length mirror on one wall, probably for my sisters. I went over and dropped the sheet. I slowly un-wound the bandages, knowing I will hate what is beneath them.

Every single scar, from the day I was born, show cased on full view. The time I'd fallen from a balcony trying to fly, there's a ragged scar on my shoulder. The time I'd run into a game machine, there's a perfectly straight line on my back. The time me and Bianca had been playing too rough and her nails scratched my neck. She never forgave herself for that. I forgave her the minute she'd said sorry.

But they weren't all accidents. Most were reminders of every time a monster had bested me. On my back, near my spinal cord, a messy scar from a manticore told me to never turn my back. On the underside of my left arm showed me not to go give in to 'people' who offer a 'cozy place to sleep.' And now, on my side a long white scar would remind me to never, _ever _trust. I was stupid to think that my mask needed to be broken, that I and Nico could be together. I loved him, but what if he hurt me? And I loved my new friends, but what if they betray me? My mother, Aphrodite, was wrong. Love doesn't solve anything.

I thought as I looked back to my face. I guessed I was pretty. I had high cheek bones, tan skin, piercing eyes, I'd acquired a figure over the years, and I'd always been slim. And then I looked to my multi coloured hair and wings that jutted out of my back. But who would love a freak? Nico must have felt pity for me. Tears started to fall down my cheek, and I sunk to the floor. I pulled my knees up to my chest and rested my head as I cried. I didn't bother being quiet, as I knew the room was sound proof, and I locked all the doors.

I cried and it felt so refreshing, yet painful at the same time. I hadn't cried in years, not a single tear. But I guess it's been building up so much, that eventually I was going to explode. All the pent up emotions were going to come out, and I was going to break. _Whoosh. _There went the dam.

I cried for Bianca, who never really got a chance in life. I cried for Maria, the only mom I ever knew. I cried for Kuccini, because I never knew her. I cried for Blaise, who tried in the end. I cried for Annabeth and Thalia, who lost a friend. I cried for Nico, who has lost everything. I cried for Percy, because I knew he's gone. But honestly and selfishly, I was crying for myself the most. I cried for the love I thought I deserved. I cried because of the hate that I get. I cried because I knew there's no one who wanted to help. Lastly, I cried because I want to be heard, and rocked, and shushed. I wanted to be told 'I love you' and I wanted someone to mean it.

Just then a blinding light exploded in the restroom, and made me look up. I then instantly closed my eyes again, recognizing the golden flash of the gods' arrival. I felt three hands touching my arms, and raised my head.

There were my mothers. Or, at least, my immortal mothers. Hera, Aphrodite and Athena. Hera looked like she was in physical pain, with a strained look and sad eyes, Aphrodite looked like she was on a thin line between crying and beating someone up, and Athena's expression surprised me the most. She looked like a mother whose child had been bullied and was trying fiercely to keep calm.

I didn't feel embarrassed by my dressing, or lack thereof, because I just really didn't have it in me to care at this moment. I raised an eyebrow at them slowly.

"Lady Athena, Mother, Mum, what are you doing here?" I asked them and almost winced at how detached my voice sounds.

They stepped back a bit, so I could view them fully. I felt like crying again and spitting in petty anger. They were so beautiful. Athena appeared strong, fierce, and stunning. Hera was regal, poise and demanded attention that her soft features deserved. Aphrodite was well, she _is _the goddess of beauty, she appeared to be everything I wished I was. She was voluptuous, soft and petite, gorgeous, but still told she was not to be taken lightly. So I did what seemed to be happening to often, and gave into my emotions. I buried my head in my knees again and let the tears fall. I did try to be quite, but then I just cried harder because I knew that no matter how hard I tried, I was never going to be as amazing as they are.

I felt someone's hand lifting my head up and was shocked to see it was Athena

"Oh Raenyx, why do you think so terribly of yourself?" she asked soothingly. She moved her hand and tucked some stray curls behind my ears. Before I could answer, _if _I was able to form words, Aphrodite exploded.

"Because she was raised around incompetent fools! People who cannot look past her wings, and see that a wonderful, gorgeous girl is attached to them. For Zeus's sake, even the demi-gods didn't accept her! They told her lies, that she was un-loved, a disaster, and a freak. They hurt my poor, sweet little girl. Had her doubting her beauty, strength and knowledge. Had her doubting _herself_." She finished her rant softly, coming over to me and kneeling. She gathered me into her arms, and cradled me like I was still a child. Just how I wanted. She rocked me and shushed me. She whispered that she would handle everything, and no one would ever hurt me again. I was starting to calm down a bit when Hera finally lost her cool.

"Why? I've always wanted a daughter who needed me, to love her and take care of her, one who was mortal, one who would depend on me. One who would have a family I could bless and watch grow up. I love all of my children blood or no, but Raenyx, my darling, you mean so much to me it hurts. It hurts to hear you crying, to see the pain and doubt in your eyes. All I want to do is hold you and shower you with praise, like you deserve." And with those immensely heartfelt words she sunk to her knees, crumpling her royal blue silk dress, and started to caress my hair.

I wasn't stupid. I knew that they had probably heard my thoughts and came to comfort me. But they were family, they had to. It didn't matter whether they meant it or not. It did touch a special place in my heart to see them try and feel for me, but it wasn't going to magically fix me.

I think Athena must have heard my thoughts, as she had taught me only a few months prior, because suddenly she was pulling me from my feet and standing me up. Aphrodite and Hera must have caught on to what she was doing, though I was still clueless. I felt my cheeks begin to heat up as it finally sunk in that I was standing there in all of my glory, in front of the most beautiful women in the world. Before I could stutter out a question, Aphrodite turned me around, so I was facing the accursed mirror.

"Tell me, my child," Athena said. "What do you think of yourself? Honestly, as we will not judge you. Let's start with your face." I felt the need to please them, and a warm feeling in my heart led me to believe that she was telling the truth. I took a shaky breath, and focused on my face.

"My eyes are large, but the colour is pretty. My face is slightly rounded and I have large cheeks, making me appear younger than I am and slightly chubby. My lips are too wide, but the pink colour is nice. I have nicely tanned skin, I suppose. My eyebrows are perfect, not a single hair out of place, almost too perfect. My nose is small. My ears are slightly pointed and make me appear to be an elf. I suppose I have nice cheek bones. Horrible combination" I finished looking to Athena for approval. She nodded as though I have spoken a complex theory, and told me to move on to my hair. I grimaced and began.

"My hair is straggly and too thick. The curls are bouncy, yet very messy. Ugh. It is black, but with streaks of golden blonde running through, as though my hair couldn't decide what colour to be." I repeated my thoughts with spite laced in every word.

Aphrodite furrowed her eyebrows and said, "Now tell us about your body, sweetheart, what do you think about it? Don't be afraid," she added, probably seeing the shaking of my hands.

I took another calming breath and tell her my most secret thoughts. "I am too short. My legs are gangly. My neck is too long. My wings are unnatural and give me the looks of some monster from myths. My curves do not belong on my odd body. The face of a child, a body of a teenager and awkward posture." I didn't mention my weight, not wanting to have any fears confirmed. I felt like shrinking to the ground again. Suddenly the goddess's were circling me and making noises of concentration.

"Would you like us to make you as beautiful as a goddess?" Hera asked in such a serious matter that I honestly believe her for a second.

"Don't toy with me, mum, I could never be as lovely as you three," I said.

"She is not lying, Raenyx. We could help you to see your true beauty. But you must do something first." My heart leapt at Aphrodite's sincerity, and I promised to do anything.

"Cover yourself, with these." She handed me a pair of shorts and a tee shirt that were so soft I had no doubts they were designer. I quickly put them on, though they were a bit too small and pulled at my body. A sliver of my stomach was showing and I felt so embarrassed I would likely faint.

"Tell Nico you will be coming to Olympus for a while, not too long, but yes you will be gone a bit," she said and ushered me and my bright red face outside.

Nico immediately stood up from his bed, and I noticed a couple more spots of blue in aura than I did before. I smile warmly. "I must leave for a bit," I said. "I'm needed on Olympus. And before you ask, no, you may not come. Yes, I will be there for a bit, and no, I won't do anything to strain myself."

"Um. Do you promise you'll be back soon enough to spend the day with me- us. You know, Thalia, Annabeth, Grover?" he asked. "They miss you like crazy, _we _miss you like crazy." He finished with that same amazing smile that always stirred something in my stomach.

I smiled and nodded, opening my arms for a good-bye hug. Some part of me believed he loved me, and I was going to relish in the delicious thought until he pushed me away. He responded by running over to me and giving me a huge bear hug, crushing me to his chest. I wrapped my arms around his neck, not noticing that my shirt was rising. He pulled way blushing and swiftly kisses both of my cheeks before his whole domineer changed. He was suddenly scowling and looked furious.

"What are you wearing?" he said, pointing to my shirt which was already to short and small, but had now ridden up exposing my belly button. And there was simply no way to explain how unbelievably short my pants were.

"Um. Um. T-they were given to me by Lady Aphrodite," I stuttered, royally embarrassed.

He pinched the bridge of his nose, the way he always did when he was mad, and sighed. He started removing his black jacket — where was his aviator's jacket I gave him five Christmases ago? — and handed it to me. I noticed that nearly his whole ensemble was black and frowned. He always used to dress like a dapper young model. Cute shirts and sensible slacks. But now he was completely modern, with his grey and black striped sweater and black skinny jeans. But I had to admit, he did look quite cute in them. My face heated up at the thought and I quickly put on the jacket. It fell below my shorts and was comfortably big. It's warm and smelled of olives and orchard flowers. Just like Nico. It was simply perfect. He looked at me for a bit, and then blushed at something.

"Better?" I said with a cheeky grin and attacked him in a flurry of hugs and kisses. He barely had time to kiss back before I pulled away and started my way back to the restroom.

"Te amo." I think I heard him whisper, and quickly turned back around. He was looking at the ground, and I didn't think he knew I heard. I said it back to him, and he snapped his head up so fast I was afraid he would hurt himself. His cheeks turned tomato red and he grinned so widely I just had to leave before my heart would explode.

A boy who could love a girl and make her feel so many things when she had just been in the most depressing moment of her life was certainly special. Oh yeah, I was definitely going to milk this surreal day dream. Until the second he pushed me away.

A/N: There was part 1, leave your reviews and wait for the next chapter!


	20. A Demi-Godly Christmas! Into The Sunset

Part 2: Raenyx's Pov

When I entered the restroom again, the goddess' were waiting patiently for me. Athena held out her hand and in it laid a beautiful pearl.

"What is this?" I asked, hoping not to offend her as I took it in my hand.

"We want to go to Olympus as soon as possible," she said. "And since we can not take you with us when we, for lack of a better word, disappear, you will need this to travel."

I looked at it curiously. I remembered Percy telling me about these before he went on his . . . quest. My eyes started to burn, and my jaw felt sore form the strain to keep it from trembling. I threw the pearl to the ground and thought 'Olympus' as I crushed it beneath my feet. Then I was lost, feeling as if I was caught in a whirlpool. Whi8ch to be honest, was a bit exciting. (I've really got to re-think my thoughts and decide if I'm sane.) I closed my eyes and suddenly felt very wet.

"What in Hades?" I screeched now thoroughly soaked. I looked around to find that I was in a massive pool. And when I say massive, I mean it appeared to be the size of an ocean! And I, unfortunately, was in the middle of it.

Before my training sessions, this would have been grounds for a complete melt down. But I had found the ability too swim, and not only that, but that I could breathe underwater. 'Pretty wicked,' I though with a cocky smirk. Just before my chin quivered, and I realized, even most demi-gods couldn't do that. I was still a freak. I was grateful for my gifts! Without them I had no doubt that I wouldn't be breathing, but sometimes I thought the curse made all the amazing things seem like they weren't worth it. I quickly shook my head, trying to rid myself of the thought. I had responsibilities; I had an army to create, lives to save. Petty feelings could wait. After all, I had been living by that mantra for a while. With a conformational nod I confirmed my decision. Duties first, training second, friends and family third, and feelings were non-existent.

Just then golden light shone in the room and made me close my eyes.

Aphrodite was giggling, and I could see Hera was grinning, and Athena was trying not to. I quickly looked at myself, not wanting to be the source of a joke.

Oh. Nico's jacket was dry, but everything else . . .That pretty much explained my priorities. Was I ever going to live this down? Have I mentioned I'm easily embarrassed? Yeah, that would explain my fiery cheeks. I quickly swam over to them, seeing that my measurements were off. I was only about thirty feet away from the right edge. Math was never my strong suit.

"Now that my dove has returned from her swim—" Aphrodite giggled again— "we can get started." She pulled me up and took one arm, leading me and my other moms (weird saying, huh.), to what I think was her room. It was a long walk full of mindless talk of colouring and what style best suited my body, and what size I was. I felt more embarrassed than the time Nico asked me if my wings were a toy, and if they were, why did I always wear them? (I'm starting to wonder if its seriously messed up that these aren't even my oddest memories. Ugh.)

We reached a magnificent door. It was made of some pure white marble with streaks of light pink and red running through it. There were carvings of beautiful beach scenes, cherubs, doves, and other love-related things. I could tell that the room inside was definitely going to be every bit as beautiful and probably more so than the door. Aphrodite reached forward and opened the door, revealing the largest bedroom I had ever seen. The floor was smooth marble, the same as the door. Though each tile had the streaks aligned in perfect swirls, which complemented the rest of the room nicely. Thick drapes made of a soft deep red material were gathered by the many massive windows. The bed was at least double the size of a queen sized bed and was shaped like a heart. Everything was lush and pink, red, gold or white. My favorite colours! There was a gorgeous vanity table that took up one whole wall. (The other three were mirrors, including the ceiling.) There was every type of makeup imaginable, hand held mirrors, tons of priceless jewelry, and she even had pictures. Some I recognized from the Aphrodite cabin; others were famous men and women I'd seen in posters and advertisements, and I didn't know the rest. There was even a few of me: one of me as a newborn baby, one of me from when I was in the casino, a grainy one of me in some alley, and a new one that was taken the day that I . . . left camp. I could tell because I was wearing that golden dress and actually had makeup on. I felt like crying, but quickly pushed that behind me. No emotions. I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned around.

"I think before we start, we should have a quick chat," Athena said with an awkward smile. I could tell she wasn't used to this. I nodded and sat on the bed, where Aphrodite told me to.

Athena stood on the opposite wall to us and leaned back, her white t-shirt and jeans making her seam for all the world like an average women. If you didn't count her unnatural grey eyes and fierce beauty. Hera was sitting at the vanity table's chair, her legs crossed primly, posture straight radiating regality, power and beauty. All fit for the queen she was. Aphrodite mostly stayed in the form of about five people to me. Sometimes Bianca, sometimes, when I saw the long straight black hair and gorgeous chocolate eyes, I thought she was back. Maria, who's cinnamon hair and chocolate eyes so familiar, I felt my heart clench. And as of late, Sally, her glowing blue eyes and heart warming smile that made me start to think of her as a mother. She accepted me even though I was the proof of one of Poseidon's other trysts. And lastly some strange beautiful women I had never met, and what I assumed was her 'true' form. I knew the strange woman wasn't her true form because she had some flaws, Aphrodite would be flawless. But, still the strange woman was definitely gorgeous. She had a caramel complexion and long, curly, golden hair. Her eyes were a defiant hazel, of blue and green flecks inside of chocolate brown. Her nose was long her cheek bones prominent and high, giving me the impression that she was Native American. Her lips were full and wide, a light pink colour that matched my own. We had the same eye shape, cheek bones, lips, and curls. I wasn't daft. I knew she had to be my birth mom. But I didn't ever remember seeing her.

Aphrodite mostly stayed in that form. Her other one was so gorgeous that I felt like I couldn't look at her without being viciously jealous or stunned speech-less. I was thankful that she appeared as my mother, not Maria or even Sally, but . . . Kuccini, right? It felt less like sadness, from Maria, and anxiousness from Sally. It was actually soothing.

"We couldn't help but over hear your new . . . plan," Athena said. "I myself have flirted with the thought of giving up all of one's emotions, as the wise decision isn't always the easiest on your heart. But with out emotions, we have no passion, no will. An empire is not built without love, determination, and passion. War would not be ended without desire and sadness. Living would be pointless if we did not feel. But I'm not saying to throw everything away, just find balance. Going through life with no emotions is bleak, dreary, and lonely. Your friend Nova would be the first to tell you that, if she could actually feel such things as loneliness. Her curse has been a hardship, but it was for the best. It will be lifted soon, but without it you wouldn't be alive." By the end of her speech she had gotten off of track and was now mumbling to herself. But I think I understood what she meant. Emotions were a part of life; some were good, others not so much. But just because of that, you don't have to stop feeling. But don't go running into things without thought, and don't only judge things with your mind. Let your heart have some input and find balance.

I smiled at the thought. Okay, I'd go with it. Besides, letting go of my mask and letting my feelings show was easier.

A new thought appeared, and I frowned. I used to always feel and love and just go with my emotions. Yeah, sometimes I got hurt and got sad, but it was worth it. I used to be able to laugh freely, have no regrets, and was usually happy. Over the past four years I had been stoic, hard, uncaring, and cold. I still got hurt; I just didn't show it. It was harder and lonelier, and it always ended up in me blowing up. Kind of like I did today in the restroom. I let all my sadness and anger build up. I listened to the hurtful comments, the lies, the judgments and began to believe them. But not anymore. I might not be like Aphrodite, but everyone was beautiful. Including me. Besides, why should I let that get me so down that I start doubting the love of my friends and family? I'm abnormal, but Nico is always my friend, and all the demigods had no reason to judge me. We were all different from the mortals. With the final thought I smiled brightly and looked at my mothers, knowing they heard me.

"Glad to see you've found some sense, darling," Hera said with a warm smile. "Now about that make over?" She stood up to give me a hug. I felt like crying. _A warm smile. _It's something I'd been longing for in a mother figure.

I hugged back and quickly responded. "If your still willing," I said. It might not matter, appearances, but hey, why look a gift horse in the mouth? I blushed a little, not sure if they would still go with it.

"Of course we're willing, my little dove! First we'll start with what delusion you have about your body," she said with a wide grin. She still looked like my mother. Smiles suit, _suited,_ her.

I focused on the question. There was nothing to be done about my wings, though I wasn't sure I would like to do anything to them. I decided on my hair.

"My hair, it's too wild, and the colour is odd. I like black and gold, but I don't want both," I said. Aphrodite frowned, but that quickly changed, and suddenly she was rummaging through her room. She came back with a red shopping bag. She handed it to me.

"This was supposed to be a Christmas gift, but now is as good as ever!" she said, motioning for me to open the bag.

I was really excited. Aphrodite was a goddess; she could have gotten me the most expensive gift in the world! Or maybe it a magical gift! I quickly opened the bag and saw two bottles: one of shampoo and another of conditioner. My face must have showed disappointment.

"We're not allowed to give you gifts that could help you fight, as you already have your sword. Besides if we did, you would have too much of an advantage, and we would have to curse the object. Besides, this is magical." Aphrodite rolled her yes, but her smile took the bite out of her words.

I read the label: 'Aphrodite's Colour Perfecter! You have two toned hair? Black and gold? Well worry no longer! With this your hair will turn one colour for one month, and the other next month!'

I looked back at her, feeling tears gather in my eyes.

"Thank you. This is one of the best gifts I've ever received!" I said. Aphrodite nodded and opened her arms, clearly expecting a hug. I quickly jumped in her arms, breathing in her scent. Like chocolate, roses, gold, and the sweetest things.

"Now what else?" Athena said, clearly uncomfortable. I smiled, trying to make her feel at ease, and saw a muscle near her eye relax. Oh well, it was a start.

"My scars," I whispered. I took off my jacket and pulled up my shirt. I expected them to gasp and look away, disgusted, but they didn't. I looked up, surprised. Hera looked sad, Athena appeared to be studying my scars, and Aphrodite looked mad.

"Oh my darling, we should have never let you stay at that Casino!" Hera said. "We should have raised you here on Olympus, and you would be the most powerful demi-goddess in history!" Her fleeting fingers stroked my cheek. Aphrodite no longer looked like Kuccini; she was now switching so fast I could hardly register.

"Why any monster would dare harm her is beyond me!" Aphrodite said, staring at my newest scar.

"Most are from monsters, yes. But some are from accidents, animals, and a few from other people," I said, knowing that it wouldn't sooth her. She just sat down and then disappeared. I raised my eyebrow to Athena, wondering if she was coming back.

She nodded. I waited a few minutes, and a bright golden light filled the room. After I felt the light fade, I saw my mum stumbling in and brushing of her scarlet dress.

"I had already given this to you back in your room, but here you go," she said, thrusting the bag in my hand. I looked in and saw two small jars of some white cream. They smelt soothing, like eucalyptus and honey. I looked up at Aphrodite, as they had no label.

"They will erase and heal all of your scars and bruises," she explained. "You'd be stunning even if you had hundreds of scars, but it's your body, and they probably hurt. They also make your skin softer!"

"Um. I have a few questions, about the shampoo and conditioner too. Did you make these yourself? Will the hair care things fix my reckless curls? And what do I do when these run out? And when the scars go away, do they stay away?" I asked in a rush, very excited to use the products.

"I did with the help of a really sweet wood nymph, Juniper. Do you know her? You will still have curls, but less tight and your hair won't get tangled as much. I'll also give you a hair cut to help with that. And they automatically refill when empty. Next," she said with a warm smile and a laugh at my probably goofy smile.

"Well, I have good features and have never gotten acne. Um, there's nothing to be done about my height. Um, I don't think I have a weight problem, do I?" I looked to them. Athena was looking at me funny, Aphrodite and Hera too.

"I'm the goddess of knowledge, but I still am unsure whether or not you are being serious. You are no where near having a weight problem, in fact, you're underweight, and the pills you've been given have barley brought your weight back up to a healthy level," Athena said with a small frown. I nodded, believing her. I had never really thought that I was over weight, but when a beautiful girl says that, and your already down and self conscious. . . .

"Okay, and um. I can't hide my wings, so I guess I'm as good as I'll get," I said, trying to calm the tornado of emotions I was feeling. I felt ecstatic about the things they had given me, sad because my wings would always be there, happy because I really did love my wings despite all the trouble they caused me, and nervous. What if the products wouldn't work?

"Actually, there is something we can do about your wings. But I will warn you, it may hurt the first time," Hera said. I look at her, confused as she started coming closer. "As you know, goddesses and gods can appear how ever they want. We could even have an animal's head or tail. We mostly choose to stay human, but every once and a while we want to change. Now, a person has to stay with in their sphere. Hades can't have wings, and Zeus can't have gills. Since I'm married to Zeus, I'm queen of the sky. I can have wings." She turned around. Her dress exposed her smooth, flawless back. It was clear except for a small pair of wings tattoo directly in the middle of her back. I was surprised; Hera didn't seem the type! But suddenly the tattoo expanded and began to liven up. The outline turned white and started becoming 3D and suddenly, Hera was unfolding the most majestic wings I'd ever seen. There they were perfectly white with spots of grey creating a beautiful pattern. Similar to that of a peacock. They were even larger that mine and made Hera even more gorgeous and slightly surreal.

"Wow!" I exclaimed

Hera grinned and said, "All you have to do is focus solely on your back being bare for the wings to be gone. When they are, you will have a small marking of them on your back. The shape and colour depends on your wings. Mine is white and grey with sharper angles. Yours will be white and gold with soft curves." She smiled at the sight of my awed expression.

"Will they come back?" I was just barley able to squeak out.

"Of course, just focus on having them back. But I'll warn you: it will be an odd and unpleasant feeling at first."

I nodded and began focusing. I'd felt worse than 'unpleasant.' I imagined having a smooth back, no feathers, no wings, just skin. Just normal.

I gasped at an odd feeling. It felt like my wings were being squeezed and something was pushing at my back. And suddenly a sharp pain shot through my spine, making me throw my head back and clench my teeth. But as quick as it had arrived, it was gone, and I felt a lot lighter. I swiveled my head around and felt oddly sad that I didn't see my wings behind me. But I still grinned because now I could pass for a normal human! But I needed to make sure my wings would come back, so I focused on having them there again.

It was pretty much the opposite feeling. Something was expanding and trying to go though my back. I closed my eyes, expecting pain. But it was nothing like the first one; it felt amazing. Kind of like when a flower blossoms, it feels so natural. Feeling the familiar weight on my back I sighed softly. I was starting to feel tired, so I quickly made them go away and clenched my fists because the pain was more than a bit unpleasant. I felt exhausted, but I knew today was going to be a long one, so I grinned and bore it. Grin and bear it, I repeated.

I grinned proudly at my mothers and decided to get things moving.

"Is there a place here where I can shower?" I asked, gathering the products in my hands and looking around. Aphrodite smiled and waved her hand towards the left.

"Feel free to use anything you like. I have more than enough. Take a shower first, to get the layer of grime off. Then apply the cream. After that, take a bath and soak until I call for you. You have a long day ahead off you, my little dove."

_I knew it! _I thought. One of the walls rippled to form another ornate door. I walked towards it, looking over my shoulder just to make sure I was allowed. When she nodded, I turned the golden handle.

I entered a huge room. A bathtub the size of a pool, huge lavish mirrors. The floors were pure white marble; the walls were mirrors, and everywhere were little figurines of cherubs and doves. It was glorious! I turned around, but saw that they'd already closed the door.

I went to the sink and lay down the products. I looked at myself in the mirror, feeling grimy. I hadn't had a shower in three months and a half. That's a new record, even for me. I looked around and found the soaps. There was a whole shelf of them! And below that were bubbles, lotions, moisturizers, shampoos and conditioners. She wasn't kidding. I was glad I only had to choose between soaps. I chose one that smelled like Fiori Orchdeas, strawberries, and vanilla. It was so perfect, all three of my favorite smells. I had noticed that no matter what, I always smell like an ocean breeze, sea salt and all. I liked these three warmer scents much better, who wouldn't? _It's like the soap was made for me_! I think wickedly.

Considering how sneaky Aphrodite was, it probably was. With that thought I smiled and hopped in the shower that was the size of a normal apartment's bathroom, and worked at getting clean. I watched as the dirt and grime fell away, and my tan skin showed through. I reached over my back, cleaning the place where my wings usually were and let out a laugh. I could finally feel that place! I washed my face, loving how amazing the soap smelt and felt. I finally moved onto my hair, wondering which colour it would be. I thoroughly ran the shampoo and conditioner through every lock and washed it out. My hair felt softer than it ever had, not a single snag. I felt my face spreading into another ridiculous grin. I quickly got out and looked in the mirror. My hair was blonde!

I looked so much like my mother it was unreal. Same golden locks and golden hair. We could be sisters. I saw the lady in the mirror, me, frown. But I quickly smiled. As I twisted and turned, I said goodbye to every single scar and grabbed the jar.

I uncapped it and was overwhelmed by the smell of honey and eucalyptus, but it was pleasant. I scooped out some and rubbed it on the scar on my collar bone, the one from an intense battle with an empousai. _Bye. _Then on the longest, the most recent one. This scar took two scoops, but it was worth it. _Bye. _I completed the process, astounded at how every time I took some cream out, watched as it vanished, and looked at my skin. Not a single scar, nothing! I let out a second giggle and headed to the bathtub. It was filled with hot water and bubbles that smell exactly like the soap I chose. _Some people know me better than I do, _I thought, shaking my head as I stepped in.

"Ah." I could see why women enjoy this. But I opened my eyes, remembering something. Today was Christmas. I would give myself this week to rest and enjoy my family. It would be stupid to start training right after, my, my, my _situation. _But after that, I would begin the most intense training I'd ever done. I had a plan; I was supposed to build an army? I'd build warriors. I'd gather history's toughest demi-gods! Straight from Elysium and the Isle of the Blest. I'd re-animate them, strengthen their auras, spark their life fires, strengthen their bonds to each other and me. They had to _want_ to fight and make sure their minds were able to handle being alive again. Of course this wasn't going to be easy. It'd take at least two months to find worthy fighters, to get them ready for life. And then Zeus knows how long to get them trained. I could feel my self getting tense, so I sunk deeper in the bath tub and let my mind float to less stressing things. _Today is Christmas, _I repeated, breathing in the calming smells.

I heard a slight knock, and in came my mothers. I smiled at them and stepped out of the tub. I grabbed the long fluffy towel that had been next to me and wrapped it tightly around myself. Aphrodite handed me a bag and then Athena began speaking.

"Hera has made us all see that while, at the time, it was best to leave you with the mortals it was an irrational decision. From now on, you will spend one week a month on Olympus. Training and living like a goddess. You will still be mortal, but this is what we should have done from the beginning. You'll be able to control your powers more and better. We'll get to see our daughter more." Her lips curved to form an impish smiled that lit up her whole face. It made her look so much more caring and trusting that she rivaled Aphrodite.

"I'm okay with that," I said. "I'd like to get to know you all better as well. Plus I will need intense training that, while the camp is supreme, can't offer," I finished with a loving smile. (I have four smiles. As most people don't realize they do. A loving one reserved for those I love; a reckless embarrassing one that I can't control; that trade mark trouble Poseidon's trouble make smirk; and an icy smile that you don't want to see.)

I heard a squeal and turned to Aphrodite, only to find that it was Hera.

"I love family bonding! Which is exactly why all of the Olympians, plus Persephone and Dionysus, are here too! We're having the first of, hopefully, many family Christmases. Christmas is a traditional Greek holiday, but you seem fond of it and gifts are a great way to make amends, so here we are! Of course, the gods will have a separate Christmas where we're all in our true forms, but this one is for our little savior!" she rambled, sounding quite excited. I smiled at the thought of a family Christmas.

"But why is everybody else here?" I asked. "I mean they're not my parents, so . . .?"

"Well, they _are_ family. They're all either brothers and sisters or aunts and uncles. Plus I didn't want to leave any one out. When you come over, you're going to see a lot of the Olympians, so you might as well get to know them," Hera finished with a nod.

"Okay. Oh! But I have nothing to give you guys! You've already given me so much, I mean not only my powers, but the charm bracelet, and then Aphrodite gave me these products. I could never repay you guys!" I was starting to get worked up. I'd never been one to free-load.

"Ha ha. Don't worry, little dove. You will repay us tenfold when you fight against Kronos." Aphrodite soothed me, now appearing to me as Kuccini again.

I breathed in deeply and looked to Hera and did a double take. For a moment I could have sworn that she had a certain gleam in her eye and a tilt of her mouth that made it look like she had something big in store. Something that didn't seem exactly good. But as soon as I looked back, it was gone and sweet motherly Hera was there.

I could tell that today was going to be long and dramatic, knowing the Olympians. So with a deep breath I decided that it was worth it to have a family. I still had to get ready, and I was probably going to play Barbie, so wish me luck!


	21. A Demi-Godly Christmas : Surprises

I was right. I am going to be playing Barbie. But that's fine! I like trying on clothes and getting pampered, who doesn't? And if it makes them happy, I'll try on a thousand dresses! That didn't sound as noble as I thought it would… Either, that wasn't needed.

Aphrodite already planed out my outfits. And yes, I do mean plural, outfit_s._

At first we are going to have a little ball type of thing. (Hera said it was to welcome me back, she said we would have done one when I first was born but that their were more important issues. And then when they found me, but that I had to much on my shoulders to deal with that as well. So, here we are now!)

But anyways, im going to be wearing a long bright, lush, red dress made of pure silk. Its Greek style, with one strap on my left, tight on the top, and loose and flowy at my hips. It has a slit down side, exposing my leg. The material is made to look like red flames along said slit, and the dress was light and perfect for dancing. I was going to wear s red gladiator sandal-heels, heels based of the gladiator sandal design, laced half way up my calves, with the dress as well. These things were probably an invention straight from Tartarus. How do people do this all day, everyday? Yet they looked so good, and added height, so I was okay with wearing them. Plus Aphrodite said that these heels were specially designed for her daughters, as beginner heels, so that they wouldn't trip in them. Once I knew that, I had no complaints!

The ball is going to be a really ceremonious thing. Im going to dance with all of my parents, the big three are going to 'crown' me, and im going to tell them my plans to represent them and build my army. I'm a bit confused about the 'crowning' so I ask Hera about it.

"Why are they crowning me?" I ask as Aphrodite cuts my hair. It had grown below my hips since I was locked away. I also, apparently, had 'A tragic' amount of dead ends.

"Well, as you know, Zeus is king of the sky and the gods. Poseidon is king of the ocean and all it's creatures and Hades of the underworld and its inhabitants. You're their daughter, so there for you are the princess automatically. And Hades has granted you queen of the Underworld." She says while appraising my hair. It now falls half way down my back. I already feel lighter, even though I still had a bunch of hair. Athena said to go shorter, so I wouldn't be distracted in battle, but I've always had long hair. The one time I had it short it just didn't feel right.

"But Percy, Nico and Thalia are their children as well. Why aren't they crowned?" I ask, carefully saying Thalia's name. I know my mother is not fond of her husbands other children. I definitely know Amphitrite feels the same, not to mention Persephone.

"Well, Nico will be, when Hades decides. But Thalia is a huntress and Percy doesn't want to be crowned, officially." Hera says as though this was obvious. But I guess it kind of was.

"But, you won't really have a say in matters, sadly. Its more to show off that the savior is his daughter for Zeus. He handles the sky and the gods all by himself. Sometimes I hardly even have a say. For Poseidon its to get closer to you, and to show his creatures that you are to be trusted, despite your other fathers. But Hades, on the other hand, is actually crowning you. For now you are just princess, but you will have say. You will help guide ghosts, feel the passing like Nico, and sometimes judge souls, when he is short handed." Hera says as she hands me the bag that Aphrodite brought in. I nod, taking this all in. I feel overwhelmed, but I am not going to back down. I have responsibilities and I need to prove I can handle them.

The bag contains my dress, neatly folded with my shoes on top. I can't contain the little squeal of excitement as I race to try it on. As I slip it over my head, and fix all the things so its right, I feel excitement building up. _I'm going to a ball, in a beautiful gown, made just for me, and Im a princess. _This is what every little girl dreams of! (Granted, my dreams changed everyday and some where a bit embarrassing, like wanting to be a pirate. But this was still surreal!) I finally get my heels on, and go to look in the mirror, but Aphrodite covers my eyes.

"Not until your ready! We still have to fix your hair, add accessories and make-up!" She says steering me back to Hera's vanity table. (Did I mention we moved to her private room? Hera thought it would be best to prepare for a coronation in the _queen's _room. Sometimes she could be vapid, but others she was sweet. So I guess it's balanced.)

"Not to much make-up please." I quietly request, trying my hardest not to seem un-grateful. If I was, Aphrodite doesn't act like it, instead nodding thoughtfully and taking some of my hair in her hands.

"For this part of the evening were going to but your hair in a high pony tail. Were going to place some rubies by the base of the pony tail, use some Olympian hairspray hasn't failed me yet, and weave in a few red ribbons here and there." She says squinting her eyes a bit, focusing. Like an artist on his most recent master piece.

"While I'm doing this, Theeny, do you mind doing her nails? Good, thanks." She says not pausing, and continues speaking. "I want them cut, rounded, but just so-so, gone over twice with a clear coat. Then paint the tips white, and use my 'Red Dawn' shimmer polish to add some thin lines on each nail." She then scribbles a little design on paper, and it looks like deep red, sea waves going through the middle of someone's nail. Perfect combination of flame and sea!

"And you, dear Hera, would you mind checking to make sure everyone's all together, gifts in the throne room, decorations perfect, clothes impeccable? And ready to wait 30 minutes?" Aphrodite says in a way that doesn't leave room for denial, and Hera walks out. 30 minutes? The things Aphrodite plans would take a regular person hours!

But as soon as Hera leaves, the other two goddess' start moving like lightning, Athena's hands blur and I can already feel the cool gloss of my first coat. Aphrodite moves about my head collecting all my hair, an is already adding rubies slowly and precisely before I even have time to voice my thoughts. Whoa- coat two. Oh, she's done with the rubies already? Gak! Hairspray went into my mouth.

"Sorry. Athena, let that dry before you add the other parts. Great job so far! Now Raenyx, I'm going to add some lip stain, ruby red with a bit of gold sparkles. Then a clear-gloss coat to make your lips shine. For your eyes a simple gold eye shadow with a bit of red flare, but not enough to be tacky. And lastly a bit of shimmer across each cheek bone, Kay?" She'd already start to add the lip stain before I could say anything, though. The colour is 'Aphrodite shimmer.' Coincidence? I think not! I let out a giggle and she gave me a completely un-abashed smile, which makes me laugh again, before continuing. And then Athena is back on my nails, first painting my nail tips, and then slowly, delicately adding the red design. And is back up and standing at her place by Hera's desk before I can blink. And, when I _do _blink, Its with decorated eye lids. And with two flicks of her wrist Aphrodite has added the face shimmer.

I feel nervous as I get up from my chair. How could they have possibly done a good job when they moved so fas- Wow.

It's a bit vain to say this, or it may be completely vain, but I am breath taking. I don't look anything like myself. The last time I looked anything near this good, was when Silena decorated me. She was amazing at what she did, but she did put a bit too much. (She apologized, saying she'd never worked with a skin tone and eye colour pair like mine. I took it as a complemint.)

But now I have just the right amount. I don't look 14, but I don't look twenty something either. The gold eye shadow is almost the same shade of my skin, but not quite, so it looks oddly ethereal the glittery shade near my eyes. It also draws attention to my eyes.

I've always been proud of my eyes. Ethereal sea green that glowed, always thought them to be my very best feature. But I refused to become vain in my appearance like so many people at the hotel so I never studied them. I gasp, as I realize something. I could see small, dots of honey near my pupil and some radiating from the border of my iris. Im very thankful to Aphrodite right now.

My cheek bones are high lighted with the shimmer, making me look both regal and nymph like. My lips drew attention. Once, while training with Aphrodite she told me the different types of lips. I had 'Full, cupids bow' lips, she said that was the best so I was very happy when I left. The deep red colour was stained to my lips making it look natural, there bit of golden glitter here and there (That seemed to be a theme.), and the lip gloss made my lips look, well, glossy.

I'm a bit surprised that my nails don't have any gold in them, so I check them to make sure they still match. Wow! Its looks even better in person, , and I glance up at Athena. She gives me a secret wink. In the middle of the red flames, on each nail, is a thin line of glittering gold. She's a true artist. I mouth 'Thanks' and go back to gawking in the mirror. I seem to be doing that a lot, but I think its just shock. Ive been shocked a lot today. I look up to my hair, and am so surprised I gasp. Again. My blonde hair is pulled into a high pony tail, the rubies look so majestic and gorgeous im in awe. The tip of pony tail falls just below my chest, and the ribbons are weaved so gracefully I could hardly tell the difference between them and my hair. Besides the colour, of course. I study my dress, and almost gasp for a third time. _The dress is absolutely divine. _

It hugs my curves perfectly, while still leaving things to the imagination. The dress flowed into a red, silken pool, at my feet. If I posed the right way, you couldn't see the slit, but the slightest movement and my legs, thigh and all, was shown. Not that I had a problem with that, I've never been afraid to show skin, and the cream had cleared any insecurities. My skin was silky smooth, tanned and toned. (I smirk a bit at this. _Someone's full of her self today, eh? Oh well, it's Christmas. I'm allowed.) _I smile and study my appearance more.

The dress flowed like a second skin and went so well with my skin colour, I knew it must have been tailor made. I feel so un-imaginably happy, I could probably die with few regrets. Either way, I was definitely ready to face the gods. One more look in the mirror, a shake of my hair, a determined nod, and when nobody is looking, a wink, I turn to go.

"Remember Raenyx, this is going to be big. You can cry, you have all water proof make-up, but try to be strong. There are going to be three crowns, for now, when your older you'll have one. Be respectful, do you have a speech? -At my nod she continues- Okay. You'll have to be a great dancer, I think that's one of Apollo's gifts? -I shake my head- No?! Oh my self!" She says and starts to do a little panicky thing with her hands. "We only have ten more minutes! I can't teach you to dance!" She says her voice edging towards sincere hysteria. I can't help but grin, she may be an dazzling artist, and a gorgeous, but she was still human. Or, you know what I meant. "I looks towards Athena, and give her a look that has her eyes smiling too. She Holds out her hand, and I take it. She gracefully lead the dance, and I twirled and spun, dipping and gliding! I laugh at Aphrodite's stunned smile and explain. "I grew up in a house full of music and dancing. I know how to Cha-cha, merengue, tango, waltz, swing, jazz, and I took ballet. Plus, while I was on the streets I learned hip-hop, and some pretty awesome break dancing moves. Dancing is my passion! Dance is a language everyone can speak, like music. Which is another thing I love." I say and grin my crooked grin.

Aphrodite seems to have lost her stunned look, and is now smiling in extreme happiness. "I'll be sure to remember that! Okay, now there are going to be some nymphs, they love to dance, and some satyrs serving. Don't worry, their not slaves. Athena here cracked down on that years ago. And, were going to have dinner. We have vegetarian dishes as well, little dove. I think that's all." She finishes with a glance at Athena who nods. "Okay. Me and Athena are going to get ready, we only have 5 minutes. Close your eyes." She orders, but sweetly enough I'm not offended. I do and feel the tell-tale signs of them glowing out. I sit on a chair, knowing that if they can get me ready in under 20 minutes, they can surely work magic for themselves.

Little did I know, that when I walk in the ball room, my head held high and smile wide, that I would get the shock of a life-time. If I was surprised today, its _nothing _compared to the emotions that are going to be coursing through my veins. Nothing.


	22. A Demi-Godly Christmas : Stepping Stones

He seemed to be alone, standing in the back, off to the side a bit. He had a brilliant smile, and—he had the audacity to wink at me! I felt my cheeks start to heat up, but by then the gods were already here. Hades gave us a dubious glance just before Zeus started to speak.

His booming voice rang throughout the room, and filled it instantly. I tried to spare a quick glance at Nico, but he was gone.

"Welcome, family, friends, honored guests. We are here today to crown the Daughter of the Gods!" A hearty applause, and Apollo shouted something incoherent.

"Born of Poseidon, _before _the oath—"he winked at the crowd—"blessed by me, Zeus, my wife, Hera, Poseidon, Aphrodite, Athena, Apollo, Hephaestus, and Hades. Powers more mighty than any demigod before her!" The crowd erupted loudly again. "But, tragically, power comes at a price. She was cursed with each power she received!" The audience gasped. "But our princess had fought valiantly! She roamed the streets, homeless for four years, only to be kidnapped for three months _just _after coming home!" A few nymphs teared up. Zeus walked over to me, clasping my shoulder. He was really playing this up. But I guess this was what life was like for the gods.

"She has finally found her way home, and learned of her greatness." A happy chatter broke out. "And today we celebrate our little warrior. You all know of the prophecy, and know that our princess, along with a few other choice heroes, will lead us to victory!" His voice became even louder and rang out joyously. The crowd went absolutely mad for a few moments, until they finally quieted.

"So, today we gather to witness the coronation of Aurabella Kuccini Mclean!" I felt my cheeks go blazing red. _He just __had __to say my real name, didn't he? _The crowd grinned and clapped some more, and Hera passed Zeus a gorgeous crown. It was silver, designed to look like thin vines intertwined and forming a crown. Small, circular. Sapphires were interlaced her and. In the middle was a large, smooth oval sapphire. He placed it upon my head, and I felt my entire body glow with a warm, electric blue glow.

I sighed, as it felt slightly familiar. He nodded and backed away so everyone could see. The crowd applauded again, and then fell silent. The crown began to shrink, forming a small bird shaped sapphire charm.

"And now, to add on to her necklace, with symbols of her power." Before I could ask what he meant, he pulled something from behind his back. It was my necklace/sword, Kai! I gasped, not even realizing it was gone. Suddenly I felt very exposed. He took the small charm, smaller than my thumb nail, and added it to the necklace. _I wonder, is it a weapon too? _But then I shook my head, they weren't allowed to give me such gifts. The crowd was beaming at me.

Poseidon chose that moment to step up, holding a crown nearly identical to Zeus's. The same build, but with emeralds, and the way they were interlaced looked like raising sea waves. He placed it upon my head, and whispered _'beautiful' _before backing away. I was wrapped in a soft sea coloured glow that smelled of the ocean. I grinned at him. He was pretty awesome, I suppose. He stepped back, and the crowd cheered again. _Does that get tiring?_

This crown began to shrink as well, forming a small emerald star the same size as Zeus's charm. He placed it on the right of my seashell, the opposite spot of Zeus's. I frowned a bit, noticing Hades' would be the odd one out.

Hades stepped up before me, and the crowd quieted considerably. He frowned a bit, but was otherwise expressionless, and I gave him my special Don't-pay-a-bit-of-attention to-those-haters look. I think he got the gist, as the left corner of his mouth raised the slightest bit. He brought out the crown and—

I think his was the most gorgeous out of all three. Again, same delicate, weaving silver frame. But this was so much more amazing! Small, _very, _small deep violet, amethysts, pure black onyx, the darkest of indigo topaz decorated the crown. It was a representation of the shadows! I'd grown used to the darkness, even being able to discern the different colours, and these gems were a nearly exact replica and almost better, as they shined gorgeously.

I looked up at him, awed and so thankful.

He placed it on my head, and I was wrapped in buzzing, icy blackness.

Totally thrilling.

Hades grinned at me, and I smiled back at him. Soon, though, the warmth faded and he was taking the crown of my head.

This one shrank into a very interesting shape. A small, amethyst rose. He clips it in on the necklace chain, on the same side as Poseidon's. The necklace was uneven but whatever, I didn't care.

Hades stepped back into his place, and Zeus addressed the audience again.

"Good people of Olympus! We have now completed the coronation of Aurabella Kuccini Mclean, bow to your new princess!" his voice boomed out, loud and powerful. I expected people to refuse, and shout and make a ruckus. Yet, the most anyone did was roll their eyes or sneer (Ares!), and bow.

The whole room, bowing at the waist before me. It was completely intoxicating.

This really was quite a way to pump somebody up before a big fight, definitely.

I couldn't help the wild grin I had crawling on my face, especially with the roaring of blood in my ears.

They say power is dangerous, and with the way my heart was beating, I was completely inclined to believe them.

Zeus nodded and motioned for them to stand again, and completely by themselves they erupted into applause. They sound filled the room, and I thought I might go deaf, and that it would be totally worth it.

Yet, somewhere in the back of my mind, it felt wrong. I felt like something, someone was missing. And when I tried to think about it, my stomach twisted and my head roared with pain.

I steadied myself and shook my head to relieve the pain. I realized Zeus had been talking, and struggled to pay attention.

"And now, every one may sit down for dinner," he said, opening his arms to the room, and suddenly every table was full with a bounty of food. My stomach rumbled and I blushed.

Poseidon laughed and put a hand on my shoulder. "Dear one, you may eat as well. You'll be dining with your family. We have a little surprise for you," he said, his eyes dancing mischievously.

What could he possibly have to show me?


End file.
